Winning the Heart of the Dark Lord
by moonservant
Summary: Hermione is sent back to Tom Riddle's time and finds herself attracted to the mysterious boy. However, upon returning, a surprise awaits her.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note of happiness- I've decided to edit this finally. The spelling and grammar is terrible, plus I can correct stuff that I got wrong such as Hogwarts's location. Since people are still reading this, I think it would be fair to make it easier to read. **

**Disclaimer: Of course I own HP. Can't you see I'm obviously the brilliant Ms. J.K. Rowlings. (is hit over head with physics book) Ok, fine, I don't own it. It belongs to much more brilliant people than myself. Geez, have to take the fun out of everything don't you.**

"Must you go Hermione?"

"Yes, it's time for me to go back Tom, I'm sorry. I won't forget you. I couldn't if I tried," she laughed sadly. She leaned up, pressed her lips to his one last time, and would have stayed like that if Professor Dumbledore had not interrupted.

"It's time Miss Granger. I'll see you in forty years," the future headmaster said, fixing her with those blue eyes.

"Alright, see you then Professor. Good bye," she said and walked toward the portal.

"I love you Hermione," Tom called one last time.

"I love you too, Tom Riddle," and with that she jumped through the tapestry into her own time. Time travel always left the person feeling dizzy and tired, and with the emotional fixes of the past month, it was even worse on Hermione. When the world finally stopped spinning, she made out the faces of her best friends and an older Dumbledore.

"Hermione, is that you?" Ron asked uncertainly. She smiled at his dim question.

"Of course Ronald, who else could it be? Really, it's not like people fall out of tapestries all the time," she replied and engulfed him with a hug. Harry and Ginny hugged her too and for a moment, they just stayed like that.

"It's great to have you back, Hermione," Harry greeted her.

"Yeah, without you it's just one big battle of male ego," Ginny joked, earning a laugh and two glares.

"It's good to be back guys," she answered, feeling slightly guilty as she partly longed to be back in Tom's time.

"So what happened? Where did you go and who'd you see? Come on, details, details," Ron interrogated. Hermione just laughed at his eagerness and looked up at the Headmaster.

"Perhaps Mr. Weasley, it would be best to wait until the morning. I'm sure Miss Granger is exhausted from all the excitement," Dumbledore told Ron, coming to her defense. Ron looked at his feet, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Miss Granger, I think it would be best if you stayed in the Hospital Wing tonight as I'm sure you'd rather not be mobbed by curious students," he suggested.

"Yes, I suppose that would be best," she agreed.

"We'll accompany you there," Harry offered. She accepted and walked out of the office. They walked in thoughtful silence, minds reeling with thoughts and questions. They reached the Infirmary where Madame Pomfrey pulled Hermione into a bear hug. Hermione managed to explain the circumstances once she could breathe again. The nurse led her over to a bed and rushed her friends out. Hermione changed and climbed into bed thinking about her latest adventure.

XXXXXXXX

It was midnight, well past curfew, but she did not care. She was determined to find it. There was rumor that on this night a secret room was to appear behind the fairy tapestry of the fourth floor. She crept silently towards it, careful not to draw attention from the prefects. She found her destination and was filled with awe. Soft light spewed from the hanging and voices floated from it. It was better than she could have imagined. She approached and made to move it aside when suddenly it pulled her in.

She hit the stone floor, finding herself on the sixth floor outside the Ravenclaw tower. She stood up and rubbed her sore palms ignorant to the watching figure.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a dark, cold voice demanded. Hermione froze and looked at the lone person. He was tall and slender with wavy black hair and dark blue eyes. He was older than she was, perhaps a seventh year, possibly sixth. He wore the Slytherin crest on his robes with the prefect badge next to the emblem. His familiar wand trained on her as he waited for an answer. She had never met him, but it was a person she knew oh too well.

"I said who are you? What are you doing here?" Tom Riddle repeated slower and more forcefully. Hermione glared at him as she spoke.

"That's no concern of yours Vol- Riddle," she told him, resisting to use his future name, "If you will take me to the Headmaster's please, I would be grateful." He glared back, considering her words before turning and stalking down the hall.

"This way," he said simply and she ran after him. She was confused. Not only was she fifty plus years in the past but walking along side the most hated wizard of her time and the enemy of her best friend, not weird at all. She felt her stomach clench at the thought of who he was and resisted the urge not to hex him into oblivion. She hoped he could not feel the utter hatred she radiated.

Meanwhile, Tom was deep in his own thoughts. He was curious about her. She had just fallen out of the ceiling and clearly had no idea who he was if she could talk to him like that. He sensed that she did not like him, but why? In addition, was he just imagining things or had she almost used his nickname? He turned to examine the girl walking beside him. She was very pretty he had to admit. She had long, curly brown hair and big, green, knowledgeable eyes. Her air reminded her of him. She gave off the sense of someone powerful, intelligent, but possessed a softness he could never have, even if he wanted it.

"Can I please at least know your name?" he asked finally. He saw her tense up before speaking.

"Hermione Granger," she muttered simply. He nodded and kept walking.

"What, you're not going to tell me yours?" she asked.

"As you seem to already know it then I assume there's not need to. But if you insist, Tom Riddle," he answered. They reached the gargoyle and halted.

"Godric Slytherin," he declared and the statue jumped aside to allow them through. They climbed the spiral staircase to the oak door and Riddle knocked solidly. A moment later, an old man answered. He had short grey hair and a deeply lined face. He wore square spectacles and a faded blue dressing robe and nightcap.

"I'm sorry to bother you Headmaster, but I found this girl and have no idea where she came from. Not to sound foolish, but she fell from the ceiling," he informed the older man professionally. Hermione hated to admit it but Tom had a very nice voice and would have made a great public speaker.

"Uh, right, good work Tom. If you would please wait outside, I will talk to the young lady. Miss, if you will," he directed and stepped aside to allow Hermione in. She stepped inside the familiar office, noting how much larger it looked without the usual tables, and watched the man seat himself behind the desk and motion for her to follow. She sat down in the spare chair and waited for him to speak. "Miss…?"

"Granger, Hermione Granger," she filled in.

"Right, Miss Granger, I do not know how you got into this school and do not know why. For the welfare of my students I must know what happened," Headmaster Dippet explained.

"Of course Sir, though I must ask that you do your best to believe me because I am going to tell you the truth," she pleaded. He nodded and she continued. "I am student at this school fifty-four years in the future. I was looking for a secret room and thought I found the entrance, however, it transported me here. I do not know how this happened but I assure you it is the truth." The old man looked at her for a moment, thinking it over.

"Very well, I believe you. There is rumor of portals around the school. Professor Dumbledore has been hunting for them for years, he may know what you are talking about," he told her, "Do you know the Professor?"

"Yes, he is the Headmaster in my time," she explained. Dippet nodded with a smile.

"Very good, he is the most likely candidate for the job. Now, do tell me more about your time. What is it like?" he asked curiously.

"There isn't much to tell sir. We're at war right now but other than that it's not a huge difference," she shrugged, not knowing what to say. The man just outside the door was to be the killer of thousands of innocents; the darkest wizard ever? That would not go over well. Dippet gave her a look of disappointment and then spoke again.

"As you most likely are to be with us for awhile you are to integrate into our routine which I'm sure you are familiar with. Tell me, what house are you in?" he questioned.

"Gryffindor, sixth year," she answered.

"Very good, then you will stay there and attend whatever classes you are enrolled in. Might I get a list to alert the teachers?" he inquired politely, handing her parchment and a quill. She scribbled them down and handed it back.

"You're free to go now Miss Granger. The password is 'Lemon'. Tom will lead you to the tower. Good night," he finalized and stood up to walk her back to the door.

Tom stood there looking slightly impatient. Obviously, he did not want to be here. Professor Dippet gave him his instructions and he and Hermione made their way to Gryffindor tower.

When they arrived, Tom bade Hermione a good night and said he hoped to see her tomorrow. She returned his partings, not meaning the last bit, and climbed through the portrait. The common room was empty and she made her way up the girls' staircase quietly. The headmaster had said that the farthest 6th year room had available space so she turned into that room. Sure enough, the third bed was unoccupied. She quietly made her way through the room hoping to avoid loose things, but her luck was not so. Her foot collided with a cauldron, banging it into the wall. The other four people woke up in a start and stared at her.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" the girl nearest her demanded.

"Hermione Granger, I'm kind of staying here for now," she answered weakly.

"Why? We've never seen you here before," another asked.

"You wouldn't of. I just… transferred here from… Ireland. My parents decided to move and send me here instead," she lied, hoping that they didn't know there wasn't a magical school in Ireland.

"Fair enough, well, welcome Hermione. I'm Gretta," the voice closest to her greeted. "That one over there is Lindsey, to her left is Ashland, and the great lump is Sydney," she continued, being hit with a well-aimed pillow from Sydney.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm sorry for waking you all at this hour. I'll see in the morning I guess," Hermione apologized and climbed into bed.

XXXXXXXX

"Hermione, you need to get up, classes start in an hour," a voice called to her. The bushy haired girl buried her head in her pillow, not wanting to get up. She did comply however and pushed the covers off. She stretched a bit and then looked at her companions.

Gretta stood at the foot of her bed, apparently being her wake up call. She was about five foot four and had a healthy figure. She was not skinny but in no ways fat. She had warm grey eyes that were partially hidden by her red hair. She reminded her of Ginny in a way.

To Hermione's far right was Lindsey. She had mossy green eyes hidden behind glasses. Her long brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail with soft ringlets falling down her back. She was quite tall, maybe five eight and very thin. If she had to guess, Lindsey was probably popular though this would not be a problem as she seemed quite nice, almost shy as she gave Hermione a soft, inviting smile when she noticed her looking.

To the left of her bed, was Ashland. She immediately liked her. She had sandy blond hair and over six feet. She had light brown eyes and a paler complexion than the other girls. A pile of book adorned the bedside table. She reminded her of Professor Lupin in a way and of herself with the obvious love of reading.

Then there was Sydney. She was shorter than the rest, only five foot , give or a take an inch. She was a bit on the hefty side, but was very pretty. She had short black hair that framed her face, accenting her bright blue eyes. She gave Hermione a small smile and a wave and went back to getting ready for the day.

"Hermione, do you have a uniform or anything yet?" Lindsey asked. She shook her head in reply. Lindsey dug through her trunk and pulled out an extra uniform. "I fear it might be a bit big but not noticeably so," she explained nervously. Hermione thanked her and headed into the bathroom to shower and change. She caught sight of herself and realized how silly she must look in 1944. She had a pair of Garfield pajama bottoms and a black tank top on, perfectly fine in 1996 but very wrong here.

A short while later, she arrived back, dressed for the day. The girls were deep in conversation but broke it off when they heard the door open.

"Shall we go down to breakfast now?" Ashland asked, heading for the corridor exit. The others agreed and followed. On their way down, the four talked Hermione's ear off explaining the school and how things worked and all that stuff. She knew most of it already, though the teacher information was a bit interesting, McGonagall was the coolest teacher in school. They arrived in the Great Hall and took their place at Gryffindor table and Hermione was introduced to various members of the house and given a thorough explanation of whom they were.

"That's John Drake. He is the captain of the Quidditch team and house player, if you know what I mean," Sydney explained slyly, "and over there at Ravenclaw is Patricia Connelly the, Oh my gosh, he's here!" she squealed in excitement causing the other four to look at the entrance. Tom Riddle entered the Hall, followed by a group of "friends." Harry had told her about his private lessons so she knew that these had to be the first Death Eaters.

"That hunk of man there is Tom Riddle. He may be a Slytherin but he is charm defined," Gretta whispered in her ear.

"What I wouldn't give to be on his arm," Lindsey agreed. The other two just nodded. Hermione struggled to contain her laughter. Sure, he was handsome; a cloud of mystery about him, but the Dark Lord being discussed in such a manner was too funny.

"He's coming this way!" Ashland gasped, turning around so that he would not see her watching him. Hermione and the others followed suit and waited eagerly to see what would happen.

"Miss Granger," Tom began. Hermione turned around regretfully and faced him. "I do not believe I said this last night, but I'm very glad you are joining us. I hope your stay is pleasant. I will see you in Potions," he said, and kissing her hand, he went back to his table.

"Lucky girl!" Sydney cried, "you are my new hero." Hermione did not hear her or the other questions coming her way. Only one thought entered her mind.

'Lord Voldemort just favored me.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note of happiness- As I said, when I don't even know what it is I meant to write, you know something is wrong!**

**Quidditchstar2291- Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you like it!**

**Shapeshifter- I will try my best to not go too fast, but forgive me if I do. Writing relationships is not my strong point so if I think it's slower, it may still be fast. Make sense? Will try though.**

**EvanescoDarkness- Forgive me if your name is wrong. Thank you. I think you'll find that it's almost accidental love on her part. You have just made me think about how he's going to deal with her parentage though. DARN YOU!! j/k**

**Herenya Brandybuck- I have to agree, it is strange, if you mean the situation that is. But I'm glad you like it. Thank you**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the recognizable characters, but Lindsey, Gretta, Ashland, and Sydney are mine. Don't care about the others though.**

"So Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs eh?" Hermione commented. "Do all of you have this class?"

"I don't," answered Ashland, "it's not a strong subject of mine. I actually have History of Magic now. I'll see you guys in second," she said and walked off with a wave. They arrived to class and Hermione nearly fell over in shock. A young Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the class. Her just black hair was in a loose braid and she wore light pink robes. She had a smile that made you feel welcome. It was a far cry from the strict lady of her time.

"Professor Dumbledore normally teaches this class, but McGonagall is between jobs so he volunteered to let her teach this class while he takes over Charms. Her sister, Minerva, just left school last year," Lindsay informed her. Hermione nodded in understanding. Well, that explained a lot.

"Good morning class, as you know we have a new student with us. I expect that you all will do your part to help Miss Granger adjust. Now today we will be studying Animagi," she began and launched into the lesson. It was intriguing and unbelievably fun. They left the class slowly, discussing their homework assignment.

"I'd probably be bird," Sydney decided, "I have a very free spirit and love to fly," she reasoned.

"I'd want to be a wolf. They are fascinating creatures but I'd most likely be a mouse," Lindsey figured, not needing to explain.

"I think you could be a wolf Lindsey. Deep down there is a mighty person waiting to be unleashed, " Hermione told her, cheering her up, "I don't know what I'd be. My friend Ron use to say I'd be an owl."

"An owl would be cool. She didn't say if our forms could be magical. If so I'd be a dragon," Gretta decided, "and if not then I'd be a tiger."

"Peter could testify to that. I hear he's finally regained use of his arm," Sydney laughed.

"What happened?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He was teasing Ashland and she just took it so I stepped in and threw him off the staircase. I claimed that it was an accident and because of my record as a good student, I got away with it," she answered nonchalantly. Hermione laughed softly, planning to remember that for future use.

"Where are we going by the way?" Hermione asked.

"The dungeon for double potions," Lindsey informed her, "You see, your six classes rotate through a single double pattern. Transfiguration is 1 on the list," she explained. Hermione nodded in understanding.

The dungeon looked just the same as she remembered it. It was dark, but warm. Unlike Professor Snape, Slughorn kept the room heated. Also this class was much smaller than the last. Sixth years from all houses were here, including Mr. Riddle. The four girls went over where Ashland was already seated, and quickly began discussing their last classes. Hermione placed her bag next to a Ravenclaw boy and was about to sit down when he snapped at her.

"HEY! This seat's taken!" he yelled. She quickly got up and began searching for another seat. Her new friends smiled at her apologetically. She looked about the room and cursed Professor Slughorn for having seating for an exact number of people. Only one seat was unoccupied and that was next to her favorite person.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" she choked out. Tom looked up at her… well happily would not be the word, but pleased enough.

"Not at all," he said and gestured for her to sit. Hermione sat down as far from him as possible, utterly confused. He was a Slytherin, which meant three things. 1. He was supposed to be evil. 2. He was supposed to do everything to make her life difficult. And 3. He was not supposed to interact with her as he was doing now.

"So why are you taking Potions Hermione? It is ok if I call you that right?" he inquired politely. What happened to make this charming young man so horrid?

"Yeah that's fine. I want to be Healer after school," she answered, "What about you?" 'I want to take over the world' perhaps?

"It's just something to do. I like the class, but my real passion is Defense against the Dark Arts. I hope to be a teacher," he told her. Why wasn't her mouth hitting the floor? A TEACHER! That was a bit of a shock for her.

"That is…uh… great. Very reasonable profession," she told him. He gave her an amused smile at her obvious discomfort.

"Have we before Hermione?" he asked curiously.

"No, not really," she answered honestly, "why?"

"Because I am getting this feeling that you don't like me and I do not know why? I thought that maybe I'd done something to you in the past, or future I guess," he reasoned. Hermione stopped breathing for a moment.

"You heard that?" she whispered. He nodded affirming her fear.

"Did I fail you in class or something?" he joked. She laughed and told him that was not it, that he just reminded her of someone she knew.

"Alright then," he accepted and turned toward the front as the lesson began.

Hermione found herself enjoying the lesson. Tom was an interesting person to talk with. He was animated in his speech but not annoyingly so. He had firm opinions that were similar to her own. She was almost disappointed that the class ended.

She packed up and went to catch up with her friends.

"Looks like you two had a good time," Ashland teased her.

"He is a nice guy," Hermione confirmed, "How did he get into Slytherin then?" The others shrugged and walked off.

"Hermione wait!" a voice called, stopping them in their tracks. They spun around to see Tom running at them. "Er, as you may know there is a Hogmeade trip this weekend and I was hoping you'd accompany me," he told her softly. Hermione stared at him for a moment.

"Like a date?" Gretta teased them.

"If you want to think of it that way then sure," he said evenly, still looking at Hermione expectantly. He was asking her out? What should she say, No? Then a thought hit her. It was clear to her that he was not the same person she knew before, so could she possibly change him?

"I'd love to," she finally answered. It could be fun, and even if it was not, she would gain insight to his personality that might come in handy.

"Great, I'll see you around then," he told her with the closest to a goofy smile as he could get.

"Can I be you?" Sydney asked as they walked away. Hermione just smiled and thought about her upcoming date.

It was Friday afternoon, last class of the day, Charms. Hermione was looking forward to this class, as it would be her first class with Dumbledore. He had been gone on the first part of the week, but he was here today. The five girls took there seats, wondering if they had improved enough on the confusion spell. It was complex and even Hermione struggled with it a bit. Just then, the teacher entered.

He surveyed the class, a routine as Gretta explained, and found Hermione. He gave her a knowing look and turned back.

"I apologize for my absence and for having Professor Randburn cover. I should have known to ask someone else. He is brilliant when it comes to Astronomy, but not so in this delicate art. He made a vital error in the pronunciation of the incantation. It is pronounced with a z not a v. Perhaps now you will find it easier to place and remove the spell. Partner up and go," he said simply. Hermione was with Sydney and the other three were together. It was true, it was much easier to control now.

"Miss Granger I presume?" the familiar voice asked from behind. Hermione quickly removed the spell from her partner and turned to face the professor. He was much younger, traces of his auburn hair color still remained and his beard was far shorter. His eyes though still had that twinkle.

"Yes sir," she answered.

"I was hoping to speak with you after class," he told her.

"Of course," she assured him.

"Good, and excellent job," he finished and walked away. The lesson ended and the room emptied except Hermione.

"You wished to speak with me Professor?" she asked cautiously as she approached the desk.

"Yes, the Headmaster has explained your situation to me. I believe I know the passage of which you speak. The fairy tapestry right? Good, that is one of my favorites though it will not go away. It comes back every month so you will be able to go back then. I assure you it will take you back to the right time, it has a fifty year window so no fear, I've used it myself," he told her. She nodded and thanked him, ready to leave.

"One last thing Miss Granger, I've received word of your association with Mr. Riddle. He is a good man, but we both know how that ends up. You cannot change the future. I mean you can, but I would strongly advise against it. Do you understand?" he asked seriously.

"Yes sir," she complied. "I swear I won't intentionally do anything."

"Good, have a good day Miss Granger," he dismissed.

XXXXXXXXX

"Hermione, calm down, it's just a little trip to town!" Lindsey berated her. For the last hour, Hermione had been digging through her wardrobe looking for something suitable to wear. She pulled out a floral skirt and yellow t-shirt.

"What about this? Too formal? Hideous?" she asked nervously. What was wrong with her? She did not even like the guy that much. Then again, it was her first date and she did not want to mess this up despite her company. She changed carefully, fixed her hair, and applied a bit of make-up. She actually looked like a girl. What would the guys think? She laughed at the thought that Ron might die of a heart attack and left the dorm. Her friends were not going. They had a bit of homework to catch up on. Why was she always the workaholic of the group?

She came to the entrance hall where students were waiting for friends from other houses. She milled about looking for Tom, suddenly wondering if it was some kind of joke. Anger filled her, but quickly dispersed as she saw him leaning against a wall. As she drew closer, she became nervous. He looked happy for the first time and undeniably handsome. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a white button up shirt. The first few buttons were undone in a casual, but put together style he pulled off nicely. The look really suited him.

"Hi Tom," she said quietly. He had not noticed her, lost in thought, but quickly snapped to attention.

"Hey, you look nice," he told her sincerely. Did she mention that he has great eyes?

'Whoa, get a grip Hermione, you do not like him.' She scolded herself. "Thanks, so are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, shall we?" he said playfully, offering her his arm. She accepted it and together they left. Hermione knew she would not forget this day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note of happiness- Do not think that I normally update like this. I'm just getting this out so soon because all night I thought about it. It is planned out for the most part. And to my wonderful reviewers:**

**Disclaimer- I, moonservant, do not own Hp or anything associated with it. **

"Is the town much different from your time?" Tom inquired.

"Not really, a few subtle changes but pretty much the same," she told him as they walked up the street.

"So, tell me about yourself. I hardly know you," he suggested. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek wondering what she could say and could not.

"Well, I'm in my sixth year as you know. I want to study medicine though I did consider being an auror. Actually my friends Harry and Ron want to be that too. They will do great things," she began.

"Harry and Ron what? Perhaps I know their grandparents or something," he laughed.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Ron's sister Ginny is a good friend of mine too. Are you familiar with their names?" she asked.

"Of course, the Potters and Weasleys are very large magical families, almost as common as the Blacks. Good pure blood groups, except the Weasleys, blood traitors all of them, or so I've heard. But I guess it must be wrong if you associate with them," he deducted.

"Actually you're right, they are 'blood traitors' as you put it but they are good people," she told him, sticking up for her friends.

"Anyone who associates with muggles doesn't deserve the name wizard," he told her. Hermione swallowed back her biting comments remembering why he had that opinion. "Granger, I'm not familiar with that name, is your family foreign?" Hermione gulped, knowing this could not end well.

"No, we are English. You wouldn't know my family though," she said vaguely.

"What does your father do for a living?" Tom pressed.

"My parents are both dentists," she answered knowing how silly that sounds. Tom laughed at the idea of wizard dentists.

"Why would they want to do that? Anyone can fix their own teeth for free. Not much money to be made in it I'd think," he teased.

"My parents aren't magic," she told him and almost fell backwards as he balked. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Please tell me you are joking," he growled. Did his eyes just turn purple?

"I'm dead serious. It's nothing to be ashamed of Tom. As you would know, power and ability has nothing to do with your parentage," she accused, bring his past into it.

"I d-don't know what you are talking about," he lied, turning to walk away.

"Your father's a muggle too, Tom Marvolo Riddle. But as I said, it's ok," she called out to his back. He turned with a deadly look in his eye. Now she had done it. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the outskirts of town.

"How do you know that?" he asked evenly, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"I, a friend told me," she answered scared. He might not be Voldemort yet, but he had set a Basilisk on his peers last year. There was no reason he would not hurt her if he decided to.

"Did they tell you what that filth did to me? What they all did to me?" he asked again, voice filling with hurt, rising in volume.

"No, what happened Tom?" she asked softly, rubbing his hand gently.

"You're right, my father is a muggle. My mom was a poor witch who fell in love with him. She controlled him and after I was conceived, let him go. He abandoned her and me. She died shortly after my birth. I grew up in an orphanage, constantly teased because I was different and no one knew why. When I was ten, I managed to track him down. I told him I was his son and he could not deny it; the resemblance is dead on. He turned me away, figuring I was like my mom. I did not know what that meant at the time. Finally, when I was eleven I got my letter to come here. It was a blessing and a curse. It meant that I wasn't weird, that there were other people like me. It also meant that I was getting out of that hellhole. I was punished for things I could not control. For days at a time I would be locked in the cellar, beaten. But then I got here and realized that I did not fit in with my pure blood housemates. It took a lot of hard work for them to simply dislike me. Only this last year was I finally accepted. The muggles even ruined Hogwarts for me. So Hermione, forgive me for the fact that I don't like the scum," he nearly shouted at her, hatred dripping from every word. Tears were running down her face by the end. It was horrible, unfair. No child should be punished for its parent's mistakes.

"Tom, I'm sorry for what they did to you. It was not right at all. You are a good person and they missed out, but you know what, not everyone is like that. Not all muggles are cruel. Tom, give them another chance," she pleaded.

"I can't Hermione, the scars are too deep. Besides, do you realize that I'd be run out of my house, loose every ounce of respect I worked so meticulously to get. Your power is determined by your pureness in blood," he told her, not knowing why she did not understand.

"No Tom, you are wrong. I am one of the brightest witches in my class and both my parents are muggles. Draco Malfoy is a pureblooded Slytherin and is weak. He has potential but he just doesn't compare, not to sound vain though. And you, you are going to be one of the most powerful wizards of your time. You are so much better than those pure blood jerks. So Tom, it doesn't matter," she reasoned. He smiled sadly at her and pulled his hand away.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I just, I have to think about it," he told her and left. As Hermione watched him leave something inside of her cracked, she did not want him to go.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note- This is not helping me finish my history project. Voldy and Pakistan really don't have anything in common, at least to my teacher that is. **

**Thank you I-ARE-COOL for the enthusiastic reply, it made me and Voldy happy. (watches muse go skipping through flowers) Scary sight.**

**Melanie Potter- Thank you for the information. I forgot about that part. I will remember that in the future.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own HP or anything close to it.**

The week moved by at a snail's pace after that. Hermione just was not as happy. She tried to be and her friends did their best to cheer her up but there was that rain cloud overhead. Tom had barely spoken to her since Saturday. It had been a dry, emotionless conversation. I mean how much emotion does "Does that say gillyweed?" contain? It was Thursday and the gang was heading off to the last class of the day, Potions.

"Hermione, are you listening?" Gretta asked impatiently.

"What? Oh sorry, no," she responded.

"Still thinking of your rift with Tom?" Ashland asked, wrapping an arm around the girl.

"Guys, it's silly I know, I mean, I just met him, but I don't know, I want to be around him, get to know him and what not," she explained. "I'd be content being his friend. Wow, I sound hopeless right?"

"Just a bit, but hey, if he's as great as you think then he'll come around. You just contradicted his entire moral code!" Sydney pointed out.

"That I did. You know what's funny? I didn't realize I liked him until he walked away. Not that that's clichéd or anything?" Hermione laughed. The others joined in as they walked through the door.

"I'll see you after class," she called as she went to take her normal seat. "Hi Tom." Tom nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice. He had been twirling his wand between his hands thinking deeply and had not heard her approach.

"Hi Hermione, can I talk to you after class?" he asked nervously.

"Of course, or we could talk now," she suggested.

"No! Definatly not, it's on _that_ subject and I'm already under enough pressure for Saturday so we don't need that," he declined. She nodded and got through the lesson in a much better mood.

Class ended and the students slowly filed out, reviewing their potions.

"Hermione, you coming?" Sydney asked impatiently.

"No, I'll catch up to you guys later," she said gently gesturing towards Tom. Sydney clearly got the message and rushed the other three out after giving her two excited thumbs up.

"So what did you think?" she asked finally.

"Do you want to go for walk? It's a nice day out," he asked totally changing the subject. Hermione just shook her head with a small laugh and agreed. They walked out of the castle in silence, Tom shaking, and thinking quickly and Hermione trying not to burst out laughing. This could be blackmail material someday. They began around the lake, the sun just starting to set in the spring evening.

"Alright, out with it!" she finally shouted with anticipation.

"Are the nineties so devoid of manners? Alright, just put the wand back, I don't want to have to jinx you," he exclaimed quickly, trying to regain some dignity. "I thought about what you said. I guess you could be right, some muggles could be decent people, and you do have a point, I am much more advance then my peers. So, I don't see why that should affect our relationship, if you want to continue it that is," he added hastily.

"You'll be nice to the 'mudbloods' then?" she asked evoking the Slytherins' favorite word.

"I'll be civil, or ignore them out right, except you," he told her.

"Alright, it's an improvement," she said, taking his hand in hers. "So we shouldn't be expecting anymore basilisk attacks then?"

"No, that'd… WAIT! How do you know about that?" he asked quickly.

"I know everything, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You're not the same person," she told him softly. They walked together in silence for a few more minutes. Then slowly Tom untangled his fingers and pulled Hermione to his side.

"What have you done to me Miss Granger?" he asked her softly, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"I haven't done anything Tom, you did it all," she replied with a smile.

"No it was all you, I'm sure. Am I under the Imperious curse?" he joked.

"The simple fact that you can think that is enough to prove that you're not," she countered.

"Oh you're no fun. What if my thought process is a result of something you want me to think? What if by you making me think that by thinking about me being under the spell you are just strengthening the holds of my mind? LET ME GO GRANGER!" he cried. Hermione had to hold onto him to keep from falling over as her knees gave way with laughter.

"And people say I'm confusing! Merlin that was complex," she finally said when she regained breath. "So Thomas, what is your opinion on teaching the Dark Arts in schools?" she asked seriously.

"Thomas? Never call me that again or you will end up in that lake. Um, I don't have a problem with it. The line between light and dark magic is very fine, nonexistent almost. Light magic can be used for evil while dark magic can be used for good. It's not right to label things as good and evil. Anything can be good and evil," he lectured. How right he was, he being a good example. "Take Parseltoungue for example. It can be used to set giant snakes on people, though why someone would do that is beyond me, or it can be used to call off dangerous snakes from attacking people, but people can only see the first use and so it's dark magic."

"Why did you open the chamber?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"It was my great-great etc. grandfather's wish that only pure blood wizards were allowed in the school, I felt I should carry that out, besides, once I was out I would have fulfilled his wish," he reasoned. She could understand that, family obligations. "So what do you think dark arts in the classroom?"

"I think minor stuff is okay. Students need to be able to recognize it to fight it, and that ability is vital in my time," she added softly. Maybe now it would not be true though.

"It's getting dark, we should head in," he decided. She agreed and they turned around, slowly made their way back. The castle was silent when they entered. It was down right eerie.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. Let's go check the Hall," he decided and steered her to the door. They pushed the door open to find the entire hall staring at them.

"Thank you for deciding to join us Mr. Riddle and Miss Granger," Professor Dippet called to them, annoyed at the interruption.

"Sorry Sir," Hermione called back as she headed to her table.

"So as I was saying, a spring dance is to be held in two week time on the evening of April 17 at eight o'clock. Dress robes are to be worn and I want to assure you, tomfoolery will not be tolerated!" he warned. The crowd burst into loud whispers as friends discussed whom they wanted to go with and dress arrangements.

"Is Jacob Hanigin single?" Ashland asked eagerly.

"I think so," Lindsey whispered back excitedly. "Do you think Toby will ask me?"

"Girl, he is so into you there is no chance he won't. Now Henry asking me is a different matter," Gretta told her.

"What are you talking about? He had your name all over his history notes!" Lindsey assured her. "Sydney, who you hoping for?"

"You now Bobby O'Neil?" she asked timidly.

"Yes why… OH! That's adorable. I never would have thought you'd go for him," Ashland cooed.

"Well, he's a sweet guy and cute in a smart way," she explained shyly. "At least you don't have to worry about getting a date eh Hermione. Just have to watch out for the angry mobs," Sydney teased her. Hermione blushed and looked Tom's way. He noticed and air wrote 'Want to go with me?' the letters burning the air. She quickly nodded and the others turned to see him erasing the flaming letters.

"THAT'S SO ADORABLE!" Gretta shrieked, silencing the room. "Oh, sorry," she apologized as Hermione tried to strangle herself with her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, I'm going to go turn in. It's been a long day. I'll see you later," she told them and made her way up the tower.

"Hey wait up!" Tom called after her, running up the stairs two at a time to catch up. "So what was with the banshee impression from your friend there?"

"She saw the message and thought it was the cutest thing in the world," she explained, turning red from the memory.

"Really, flaming letters cute? What?" he asked defensively as she began laughing.

"You say 'cute' really weird, almost like you struggle to say the word," she explained, calming down.

"Well it's not a word I use frequently. I mean, can you imagine me, Lord Voldemort, saying cute?" he asked. Hermione froze again; she had almost forgotten who he was. "Do you not like the name?"

"Umm…uh... well, I just like Tom better, very simple, classy, and you," she explained, glad that he could not read her mind yet.

"I guess I can allow you to call me by that name then," he said, pulling her into his arms.

"You are a sucker Tommy," Hermione teased him, getting a broken puppy face. "A very handsome sucker though." He smiled at her and their eyes locked. Slowly Tom leaned down and softly brushed his lips against hers, but pulled back quickly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he muttered apologetically. His pale cheeks were now a bright red that would make Ron proud.

"No, it's ok. It's more than ok," she whispered and kissed him back. She leaned her head against his chest and for a moment, nothing else mattered. "I should probably get back to my room," she murmured. He hummed his reply and she slowly backed away. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" she questioned as she continued backing her way down the hall.

"What you're not going to let me walk you back?" he asked in mock offense.

"You don't have to," she tried to argue, being polite.

"I'll take that as 'Yes Tom, I'd love you to' then," he finalized, spinning her around and holding her to his side. They walked up to the entrance, talking about everything and nothing.

"Well good night Hermione," he said finally when they reached the portrait.

"Goodnight to you too," she replied quietly, accepting a final kiss before climbing through the entrance.

"So, what happened?" Gretta asked slyly as she entered the room. Hermione looked at her and then back at the door, then back to the mischievous girls.

"How did you get here so quickly?" she nearly screamed.

"We took a couple short cuts. Now out with it!" Sydney explained, nearly falling out of her chair with eagerness.

"Nothing happened, we just talked," she told them almost truthfully.

"Talked my foot. From the twinkle in your eye and the slight goofy smile, I would say something more happened," Gretta pressed.

"Ok fine, we kissed," she gave in. Four squeals filled the room and questions assaulted her.

"Yes Sydney it was very pleasant, not Lindsey it was just a simple, completely innocent kiss, not a snog, and Ashland, wedding bell? Please," she answered. She trudged her way up the stairs and collapsed into bed, reliving the last ten minutes


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note- Grrrr, I was like half way through this and then my parents erased it. (cries) Sorry about how long this took too. I've just been uninspired and had a lot of stuff to study for and what not. To my beautiful reviwers:**

**Quidditchstar2291- Glad you like it so much and thank you for your help in the little manner. You weren't the one that wrote that!**

**Amy Lee- Are you always that blunt? Oh well, I have read the books many, many times and it never says were Hogwarts is located. However, I talked to a friend and she said that J.K. Rowlings says it's there in cannon sites. I am writing this off my prior belief that it was in England/Wales.**

**Hyperwerewolf- Love your name! Glad you like it and hope it doesn't disappoint you.**

**GitaMerah- They are cute aren't they? Glad you are enjoying it!**

**Sam- You are the second person to tell me that I was wrong with Dumbledore. I know now, but didn't then. And as for McGonagall, there is a slight twist that might fix everything. I also know that my characters are ooc, it kind of cannot be avoided here. Hope you don't give up on it!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the recognizable characters. If I did, they would not be out of character! ;)**

The school was in an uproar. The dance was in just a week and everyone was busy finding a date, except two people. Tom and Hermione were just happy being together. They often spent their time with each other, talking about anything at least semi-interesting. News quickly spread through the school about them and it was almost humorous. Hermione received the occasional death threat from jealous girls, and was glared out constantly. Gretta actually hexed several people for giving her the death eye. The Slytherins rejected Tom secretly for being involved with a Gryffindor, except for his friends, who feared him. Neither of them cared though, as they were too wrapped up in this new experience.

Hermione had never dated before. Every guy passed her off as a bookworm and know it all. Even Harry and Ron had taken some time to become her friend. Tom, however, had been in a few relationships before, though they were nothing like this. They had been shallow, rushed, and brutal, not like this one, which was caring, gentle, respective, and innocent. It was thrilling to them. Nevertheless, a dark cloud hung in the distance.

They knew that Hermione had to leave some time, he just did not know when. Hermione had been there for three weeks meaning only a week remained. As much as she missed her friends, she did not want to go though she knew she had to. One evening as they made their way around the lake, Tom brought the subject up.

"How long are you able to stay?" he asked sadly.

"Only a week, to the day" she added as she realized it was again Sunday. "I'd love to stay longer but the portal only opens up once a month. I think if Dumbledore had the chance, he would've sent me back the first day."

"He doesn't want you to change the future," he reasoned aloud with more than a hint of spite. Even this new Tom did not like the teacher.

"Yeah, and I promised that I wouldn't intentionally, though I think I already have," she laughed softly, looking up at him.

"Oh gosh, please tell me purple llamas aren't going to take over the world!" he shouted, horror written across his face.

"No," she answered weakly, wondering why that was a relief to him. "Why would you think of that?"

"I really hate llamas, and dislike the color purple," he muttered embarrassedly. Hermione burst out laughing. "HEY! It's not that funny. Everyone has a stupid fear."

"I know, but that was just too random," she choked out, kissing his cheek in reassurance. "I don't particularly like lizards."

"Really? They aren't frightening," he teased her, getting a hit in the arm.

"Loser," she whispered playfully, "No, nothing horrid like that will happen. You're just going to end up being a Muggle Studies teacher."

"I beg to differ with that statement. I said that I would tolerate, be civil to, or simply ignore muggles and muggle-borns with the notable exception of you and your friends," he corrected, pulling a piece of parchment out of the air. Hermione examined the document, which was a detailed description of that conversation.

"You recorded it?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course, you never know when you might need proof of conversations," he shrugged.

"Tom Riddle, you are amazing," she laughed.

"You have no idea," he stated arrogantly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm going to miss you," she said sadly.

"I'll miss you too, but we should just enjoy what time we have left," he decided. She nodded in agreement and leaned her head on his shoulder as they continued into the sunset.

xxxxxxxxx

The week passed with a melancholy air. Finally, Friday night arrived. Although Hermione was depressed with the thought that she would have to leave in two days, she couldn't help but get caught up in her friends' excitement. The four girls were frantically fussing over their hair and make-up; wanting to make sure everything was perfect. In Hermione's opinion, they could not look better. Gretta was in emerald green robes, the silk material fanning out at her feet while delicately playing with her curves. Her red hair was in ringlets down her back. She was a remarkable sight. Lindsey had pulled her hair back into an elegant knot. Her robes were pink, almost white on top and shifting to almost red at the base. The sleeves hung off her shoulders showing off her perfect skin. They were elegant, like their wearer. Ashland, at Hermione's urging, had selected pale silver robes with a low back and v-neck. She had piled her hair on top of head with a few curls framing her face delicately. As she examined herself in the mirror, Hermione watched her self-consciousness fall away. She was a timeless beauty. Then there was Sydney. She was in midnight blue robes that gave her a darker elegance with her black hair and blue eyes. They clung to the top but flowed like water after her waist. Her hair was half up and half down, flipping out at the end. Bobby was going to be stunned silent she predicted.

"Hermione, do you really plan on leaving your hair like that?" Ashland asked. She was taken aback by the comment, she though it looked fine in the half ponytail. She had even straightened it!

"Yes," she answered timidly.

"Wrong, we are fixing it," Lindsey corrected. The four gathered around her and quickly set to work. After several debates, the decided to set it in a French braid that ended at the base of her neck. "Alright, go see." Hermione stepped in front of the mirror and gasped. Not only was the hair a definite improvement, but it gave her entire outfit a more elegant look. Her robes were a dark red; she had changed them from purple after that conversation, with short flowing sleeves and a plunging, though very decent, neckline. They gave her a figure that her school uniform hid. She actually felt like a girl. What would Ron say now?

"Thank you guys," she said as she hugged them.

"No problem. Now let's go!" Gretta exclaimed as she rushed them out the door.

Hermione wandered about the entrance hall looking for her date. She and the others had split up a while ago. It seems that they had enough sense to arrange to meet up.

"There you are," Tom said from behind her, "I was…oh wow," he gasped as she turned around. Hermione was just as stunned to see him. He was in dark blue robes with a high split collar that matched his eyes wonderfully. He looked magnificent and powerful. The phrase 'I'm not worthy' briefly flashed through her mind. However, one thing was out of place.

"Why are you wearing a tie? Did you lose a bet?" she joked.

"Actually yes, I did. As it turns out Cindy likes Paul more than we thought," he explained vaguely.

"Oh, well it looks… nice," she lied. He read between the lines and quickly removed it.

"I think this would qualify wearing it tonight and therefore I can remove it now," he told her. She smiled at his use of loopholes and accepted his arm he lead her into the Grand Hall. Round tables surrounded the large dance floor already filled with couples. Light, airy, classical music filled the room providing a peaceful mood. Spring flowers covered many of the surfaces with ivy crawling up the walls. It was as if the outdoor and indoor worlds had melted away. "I fear I'm not great at this, but would you care to dance?" he asked nervously.

"Of course. Besides, you have to be better than Neville," she laughed, her feet hurting at the memory.

"I sure hope so if it's as bad as you make it look," he joked and together they walked onto the floor. A lively waltz filled the room and the couples twirled about the floor in unison. Hermione honestly had no idea what he had meant. He was fantastic, so smooth and precious in his movements. "You haven't run away yet," he commented.

"Why would I? You dance brilliantly," she told him. He gave her a lopsided smile of disbelief.

"That must have something to do with my excellent partner," he argued. She shook her head and continued. Four dances later, the two stumbled off the dance floor.

"That was a lot of fun," Hermione laughed, her face flushed from the exercise.

"Yeah it was," Tom agreed, rubbing his shoulder. "I think my arm's going to fall off."

"That's too bad, I like your arm," she responded innocently. He rolled his eyes in a most ungentlemanly way.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked gesturing towards the refreshment table.

"Sure, I'm parched," she told him. He told her to wait there and headed off.

"Hermione! Hey, how's it going?" Ashland called, running up to her.

"It's going well. How about you?" she replied.

"Excellent, Jacob is so charming," she fawned. "So where's Tom?"

"He getting drinks should be back soon. And where might the charming Jacob be?" she asked.

"Charming Jacob, do I sense competition?" Tom asked.

"No, I was just asking Ashland where her date was. Seriously though, no one could be more charming than you," she told him, accepting her butterbeer.

"Ashland, how do you do?" he asked with a slight bow.

"Fine," she replied a bit breathlessly, but quickly regained her senses, "Uh, Jacob's just talking to his friends for a bit. Oh, I see him looking for me. I'll talk to you guys later," she called over her shoulder as she ran off.

"She seems nice," Tom remarked.

"She is," Hermione agreed, sipping her drink.

"What are your dances like?" he asked.

"Far more chaotic and less elegant. Just a bunch of jumping up and down to the latest hit and scandalous dancing," she answered.

"Care to show me what you mean?" he teased with a roguish smile that made her blood boil.

"Not going to happen buddy boy," she laughed, "at least if this is the strongest of the drinks." He laughed and took another sip.

"We'll see about that," he replied.

Two hours and six Butterbeers later, Hermione was feeling very confident.

"You still want to see how my generation dances?" she asked. He gave her a shocked look but agreed. She led him just to the edge of the floor and began 'shaking it' as some would say. Tom was humored by the strange twisting and arm flailing she called dancing but attempted it anyway. Hermione, who had had her back to him until now, caught sight of this and fell into him, laughing insanely.

"That… is the… the most ridiculous thing… I have ever seen," she laughed out, "Never do that again."

"I was about to say the same to you," he fired back.

"It actually wasn't that bad for a first try," she told him, starting to move away as she could stand again.

"No, I like you here," he whispered, pulling her back to him. She was about to question him when he silenced her with a fiery kiss. She quickly answered it and for a moment, they just stood there, exploring each other's mouths. Finally, the need for air came over them. Hermione looked up into his eyes and saw her desire reflected back. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked hoarsely. She tried to speak but simply nodded. Together they walked out, ignorant to the prying eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note- If anyone asks, these are my history notes okay? Obviously, I'm slacking off, but I've been dying to write this chapter for days, and the one after it. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own the majority of the characters.**

Hermione awoke to a throbbing headache. She groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head. She opened her eyes to find herself in a dark, unfamiliar room and then noticed something else; she wasn't dressed. She pulled the sheet up to her chin and looked around in a panic. A single thing caught her eye. On the pillow beside her was a note. She wished there was a light and suddenly, a lamp appeared. Well, one mystery was solved; she was in the Room of Requirement. She opened the letter and saw the familiar scrawl.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm really sorry about this. Believe me, it wasn't planned. Really, didn't think that someone would be stupid enough to spike the drinks with teachers swarming the hall, but then again, not everyone is as smart as us right? Listen, or read, I understand if you totally hate me now, but if you want to talk, meet me under the big oak. Again, I am so very, very, very sorry._

_Tom_

Hermione squished the note in her hand and buried her face in her arms. She did not blame him. She should have realized she was acting oddly. But could she face him again? She could theoretically hide for the next two days. But then again, that would be unfair to him, to leave him thinking she hated him now. No, she could not do that. She would have to see him. She quickly changed and snuck back to Gryffindor Tower, avoiding as many people as possible. She crept into her dorm and quietly made her way to her trunk. She pulled the door open, but the hinges screeched in protest, waking her roommates.

"Huh? Hermione, that you?" Gretta asked sleepily. Hermione cursed every divine power she could think of and turned to face her friends.

"Morning, sorry to wake you, I'll just change and…"

"What happened last night?" Sydney cut her off, face filled with eagerness.

"Yeah, why didn't you come back?" Lindsey asked through a yawn.

"I uh… I'd rather not talk about it," she murmured.

"Oh my gosh," Ashland exclaimed, her mind finally registering what was going on, and leapt out of bed, enveloping her in a hug. "I'm so sorry girl. It's not your fault. He shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that." The others put the pieces together and joined the hug.

"No, it's not like that. He didn't force it. We just weren't thinking right," she explained, tears coming to her eyes, "Oh God I'm an idiot," she sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay," Lindsey cooed, trying to comfort her. For ten minutes they stood like that, just letting her cry and ramble nonsensically.

"Thanks guys, but I have to go meet him. I can't leave letting him believe I blame him for this," she explained wiping her eyes.

"You're leaving?" Sydney asked.

"Yes… there's been a… family emergency and we have to go back home. I leave Sunday night," she made up, grabbing her clothes.

"Oh, I hope everything works out alright then," Ashland said, hugging her again. Hermione gave them a weak smile and went into the bathroom to change.

xxxxxxx

Tom stood beneath the old oak tree biting his lower lip. He was beginning to think she was not coming. She hated him now most likely. Why could he not control himself? He slammed his fist into the trunk, enjoying the sensation of the pain. It made him feel a bit better.

"Tom?" a small voice called from behind him. He turned around to see Hermione standing there, obviously nervous.

"Hey, listen Hermione, I just wanted to apologize and…"

"No, it's not your fault," she cut him off. "I agreed to it. Besides, we weren't thinking right. If it's anyone's fault, it's the idiots who tampered with the drinks."

"Are you just saying that?" he asked sadly.

"No, I thought about it and I honestly don't hold you responsible," she explained firmly.

"Thanks 'Mione," he told her with a small smile. She hesitantly approached him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was a bit stunned by this, but hugged her back, alarmed to see her crying. "Aw, please don't cry," he pleaded.

"Sorry, just a rough few hours," she apologized, wiping her eyes. He kissed her forehead and pulled her close, rocking back and forth.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Lindsey began, "but Professor Dumbledore wishes to see both of you in his office." The couple nodded and started up, uncertain of what was to come.

xxxxxxxx

"Come in," a voice beckoned them from the other side of the door. Hermione and Tom cautiously entered the comfortable office to find Dumbledore peering at them from over his glasses. They timidly took a seat in the two extra chairs and waited for him to speak. "I wish to address your conduct last night," he began softly, but firmly, "that display of 'dancing' was completely inappropriate. Miss Granger, I'm sure that that is normal where you come from, but not here." Hermione wished he would yell for anger, rather than disappointment, would be easier to deal with. "Then the public display of affection was far from called for. Mr. Riddle, you have been here long enough to know that. As prefect, I would have thought it clear what was expected of our students," he told Tom, causing the boy to tense up. "Finally, there is what happened afterwards. Normally, I would not say anything. However, considering the circumstances I feel it is necessary. As you are aware Miss Granger, you are leaving tomorrow. I do not know how this will change the future, but it will somehow. Hopefully, this won't affect Harry's mission in any way," he hinted. Hermione's head shot up in horror. She didn't think about that.

"Perhaps, Harry won't have to do that now," she pointed out.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on that," he told her.

"Uhm, what's going on? What does Harry have to do that this could change?" Tom asked completely confused.

"Nothing," they replied at the same time.

"If this has something to do with me then I deserve to know," he pressed.

"Tom, I would like to tell you, but I am sworn to secrecy and cannot do anything to change the future," she explained. He nodded irritably, feeling left out.

"I'm sorry Mr. Riddle, but it is for the best. Now for your punishment, Tom, you will serve a week's detention with me. Miss Granger, the Headmaster will be in touch with your Headmaster and he will be left to decide," the two nodded to show their understanding. "Very good, now you may go. Oh Miss Granger, meet me on the sixth floor tomorrow at nine." She nodded and left the room.

"Great my first detention," Tom sighed, "I blame you for this Miss Granger."

"So it's my fault now?" she laughed.

"Yep, basically," he answered seriously.

"Well, sorry about that. Just be thankful you don't have to worry about Professor Snape. His detentions are torture according to Harry," she shivered.

"That bad?" he asked is amazement. What human could be that horrid?

"You have no idea. He hates everyone and was a death eater who wasn't punished. Oh gosh," she winced.

"A death eater, what's that?" Tom asked curiously. Well, if she told him the truth without naming names it would be fine.

"Death Eaters serve the darkest wizard of our time. He plagues everyone, killing those who do not join his ranks or placing them under the Imperious Curse. He tortures people, kills innocents, sets werewolves on children, uses Inferi, and cannot be stopped. He went away for 13 years but has risen again," she explained, glad to see the shock on Tom's face. That would not become him. Tom would not be Voldemort.

"That's horrid, who could do such a thing. He's a right monster," he said in disgust. Hermione nodded and continued walking along.

"Hey, do you want to go to Hogsmeade?" she asked suddenly, brightening the mood up.

"But there's not a trip today," he argued.

"I know a way out," she told him excitedly, leading him by the hand to the statue of the humped witch. She climbed up and tapped the hump, stating the password clearly, watching it open up into the slide. "Come on," she called as she prepared to go down.

"You are amazing," Tom whispered in disbelief as he followed her down the slide, through the tunnel, and up the stairs.

"Wait a minute," she whispered down to him. He listened and heard footsteps above them. Finally, they went away and Hermione pushed a trapdoor away. They crawled into a dusty cellar filled with boxes.

"Where are we?" he whispered.

"In the Honeyduke's cellar," she answered. They climbed the stairs and cautiously Hermione opened the door. She slipped out and quietly made her way to the door. They managed to leave the shop undetected.

For the rest of the day, the two explored the town and surrounding areas, pulling an occasional prank on the unfortunate shoppers, and overall just being kids. It was not something they normally got to do and it was just fun. Finally, it was time for them to return to the castle. They made their way back into Honeydukes, their exit being far less smooth than their entrance. Hermione had just gotten the trapdoor over their heads when the shouts of the shopkeeper filled the basement. The made their way back to the castle and clamored out of the statue.

"Well, thank you for a wonderful day Hermione," Tom told her sincerely.

"It was no problem. It was nice to get away for a bit wasn't it?" she replied.

"Yeah," he agreed, checking his watch. "Merlin, I'm going to be late for detention. I'll see you tomorrow Hermione," he exclaimed, and with a quick kiss, ran off to the Charm's room. She watched him run for a bit before heading up to her room.

xxxxxxxxx

The last Sunday passed by too fast for the six people. Hermione, Gretta, Sydney, Lindsey, Ashland, and Tom all spent the day together. They wandered about the school, talking about the last month. Finally, eight o'clock rolled around and they were forced to part. Outside of Gryffindor Tower Hermione said goodbye to her new friends. She hugged each in turn, saying a last heartfelt goodbye, wishing them the best of luck. When she reached Ashland, she had to know something.

"Ashland, you aren't related to the Lupin family are you?" she asked, feeling a bit foolish.

"Of course, that's my last name. Why?" she asked.

"You just remind me of an old professor and friend," she explained.

"Oh, I don't believe anyone in my family teaches," Ashland commented.

"Oh well, I could be wrong. I'm going to miss you," Hermione said sadly, hugging the girl.

"I'll miss you too Hermione," Ashland replied, tears starting to fall. Hermione reluctantly let go and waved to them one last time as she walked away.

"I don't want to go Tom," she whispered sadly, tears falling freely.

"I know, I know," Tom murmured into her hair as he pressed a kiss into it. "I wish you didn't have to go either." They found Professor Dumbledore waiting before the glowing tapestry, a sad smile on his face.

"Well, goodbye Miss Granger. We all will miss you," he said.

"Thanks Professor. Can I just say good bye?" she asked, pleading with her eyes.

"Of course," he consented, stepping back slightly. Hermione turned to Tom one last time.

"Well, I guess this is it," she began, wishing for something better to say.

"Just to be clichéd, must you go Hermione?" he asked, grief filling his blue eyes.

"It's time for me to go back, Tom, I'm sorry," she said with a reluctant smile, "I won't forget you. I couldn't if I tried." She leaned up, pressed her lips to his one last time, and would have stayed like that if Professor Dumbledore had not interrupted.

"It's time Miss Granger. I'll see you in forty years," he said, fixing her with those blue eyes.

"Alright, see you then Professor. Good bye," she said and walked toward the portal.

"I love you Hermione," Tom called one last time.

"I love you too, Tom Riddle," and with that she jumped through the tapestry into her own time.

Therefore, here she was now, lying awake in the hospital ward, tears streaming down her face. It might sound cheesy, but she loved him. She wanted to be with him, but could not now. If her plan worked, he would be her teacher now and that was defiantly against the rules.

"I thought you might still be awake," Dumbledore called to her, as he pulled up a chair. "I thought you might have some questions you want answered."

"What happened to Tom?" she asked bluntly.

"Nothing that was not supposed to happen," he answered. "Yes Hermione, he is still Lord Voldemort, the enemy of your friend," he clarified.

"How?" she asked totally defeated. "He wasn't him when I left. He was a charming, young man who wanted to be a teacher, who shuttered and called himself a monster when hearing his fate!" she cried.

"You're right, he wasn't. Hermione, I know what was suppose to happen from meetings with my former self. He was supposed to go through life with out caring for anyone, being consumed by his quest for power. You changed that. You made him accept people and feel love. I think you were the only one he ever cared for. It killed him in the end. He fell into a depression, and tried to erase your memory, everything of light and goodness. He did not even try to be a teacher. He just sank into darkness. The summer he came of age, just three months after you left, he killed his father's family, because they were muggles and were therefore connected to you," he explained.

"Is that why he killed Harry's family?" she asked hollowly.

"I do not believe so. That was most likely the prophecies doing," he figured, making her feel a bit better.

"Do my parents know I was gone?" she asked, wanting a happier topic. However, as his face fell, she knew it was not pleasant news. "Professor, what happened?"

"I didn't want to tell you this yet, but your parents died in a car crash two weeks ago," Dumbledore told her sadly, the twinkle gone in his eyes. Hermione curled up into a tight ball, as if trying to shrink away from reality. Sobs wracked her body and finally, she cried herself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Note- Not much to say I guess… just tell me what you think and hopefully the next one won't take all day like chapter 6 did.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters now.**

Hermione woke up, mind flooding with the information learned last night. She fought the tears that came to her eyes and pulled her self into a sitting position. However, she quickly lay back down as a wave of nausea washed over her. She let out a weak moan. Great, just what she needed, to be miserable and sick. Madame Pomfrey rushed over, a bottle and glass in hand.

"Here you go dear, drink this, it should make you better," she instructed as she measured out a bit of the purple liquid. Hermione accepted the glass and choked down the vile potion, waiting for its affects.

"How long is this supposed to take?" she asked the nurse, not liking the alarmed expression.

"Immediately, it should have begun already," she explained. "Oh dear, I must have gotten it wrong," she mumbled and headed back into her office.

"Good morning Hermione," Professor Dumbledore greeted her, "how are you?"

"A slight emotional wreck, and now I'm sick," she answered quietly.

"That's a shame, but to be expected. The immune system weakens in times of distress. But we'll have you cured up soon I'm sure," he told her as the nurse returned with another bottle.

"Perhaps a cold this time?" she suggested pouring more medicine. Hermione swallowed this one, and found it more pleasant in taste. However, it did not work. She gave Madame Pomfrey an apologetic look and the nurse rushed out again.

"Some bug you've been exposed to," Dumbledore joked, hoping to cheer her up. "I just wanted to check in. I fear I must go meet with Mr. Lupin and Miss Tonks."

"Alright, tell them I say hi," she asked. He nodded and walked out.

"You have me confused Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey told her, returning with an arm full of bottles.

"You mean you don't know what I have?" she asked. "Perhaps it would be better just to let it run its course instead of pumping me full of medicine. I mean, there must be some risk with that."

"Nonsense, unlike muggle medicine, we can mix these potions as much as we want. You just have to take them separately," she explained. Hermione grimaced, knowing her taste buds were in for a test. Two hours later, nothing had helped. Hermione was actually feeling worse than when she woke up. "I don't get it! Why is nothing helping?" the distraught nurse asked, pulling at her hair. Hermione smiled at the normally very composed nurse. This was too funny.

"Where is the Headmaster when you need him? He must know what it is!" she almost screamed.

"I am here Madame. Now please calm yourself. We do not need out favorite nurse to have a brain lesion," he joked. "If you will follow me, I might have a suggestion. Miss Granger, you have some visitors." Hermione looked up, not wanting to see anyone but cheered up to see her old professor and friend.

"Professor, Tonks, it's great to see you both," she greeted them as they sat down beside her.

"You have to stop with the Professor thing Hermione," Lupin scolded her playfully.

"Oh leave her alone. It actually does suit you though," Tonks teased him. "So, hear you've been doing a bit of time traveling. What was it like?"

"Oh, it was okay," she shrugged, not wanting to talk about it, though they did not get the message.

"Just okay? I would think brilliant, well depending on how far you went back. See anyone we know?" Lupin asked. "Didn't land yourself back in my day did you?"

"You're making yourself sound old Remus," Tonks told him. "What was he like as a school boy?"

"Sorry guys, I missed you by about thirty years. Don't think you were around in the forties. However, I did meet a few people. Professor Dumbledore of course, McGonagall's older sister, just a bunch of the teachers, and your aunt, Pr-Remus," she told him. His eyes got big and he stared at her for a moment.

"You are the Hermione Aunt Ashland use to talk about?" he asked in awe. She half nodded, figuring it might be so.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Tonks exclaimed. Hermione then went on to answer his questions of what she was like.

"Total bookworm, just like you I presume. So, what ever happened to her?" she asked. Remus fell silent and his eyes misted over.

"She just kind of disappeared. We don't know what happened, but we presume she was killed by Voldemort," he explained darkly.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Oh I feel like a shmuck," Hermione apologized, tears beginning to fall. Today just could not get worse.

"No, it's alright. You didn't know. Hermione, is something wrong?" Remus asked.

"My parents died recently. I just found out," she sobbed. Tonks moved beside her and pulled her into a tight hug, letting her cry. "Sorry," she said at last, wiping the tears away, "it's just, you know, I lost the only family I have. I don't know where to go, or what to do," she explained.

"I'd offer you stay with me after school, but with everything it wouldn't work," Tonks told her sadly.

"Ministry would be opposed to it," Lupin added, "but, I'm sure it'll work out. Molly would probably take you in, in a heartbeat."

"Thanks guys, besides, I couldn't have asked that of you," she explained with a smile.

"Albus, I assure you, this isn't going to work. She is not!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed at the Headmaster, but she still gave Hermione the glass. The girl drank the, thankfully, flavorless liquid and felt it take hold of her.

"I never want to see color return to a person that fast," Tonks murmured.

"Madame Pomfrey, what's wrong?" Hermione asked as the nurse's face paled. She simply handed her the bottle and Hermione nervously glanced at the label. The bottle slipped from her fingers as she stared at her in shock.

"She's pregnant?" Remus asked disbelief as he too read the label.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore answered.

"Oh god," she chocked out, "Professor, what am I to do? What if everyone finds out? What if he finds out? I can't tell him!" she shrieked, burying her face in her arms.

"You're right, he cannot know," the Headmaster agreed.

"Why, I'm sure he'd understand. Why mustn't he know?" Tonks asked, once again holding the distraught girl.

"You ever heard of a guy named Tom Riddle?" Hermione asked with her head still buried so her voice was muffled.

"Yeah, he was killed about fifty years ago. Why?" Remus answered.

"No, not that one, the other Tom, his son," Hermione clarified.

"No, I didn't know there was another Tom Riddle. What does this have to do with it?" he asked.

"I met him while I was gone. We fell for each other, and developed a relationship. We went to the spring dance together, and ended up a little drunk and… well you can fill in the details," she explained.

"But why can't he know?" Tonks pressed.

"I can't," she whispered, trying not to cry again.

"Tom was a brilliant student, destined for greatness. However, when Hermione left, he fell into the dark arts. He changed his name and gathered a group of followers, starting a war on the wizarding world. He became Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore explained.

"WHAT?" the other three occupants shrieked.

"Why?" Tonks asked simply, eyes wide with shock.

"I know, it's difficult to understand, but he wasn't the same person. He was very different, charming, sweet, good," she explained.

"I, I can't believe this," Lupin murmured, getting up and pacing.

"Do you hate me now?" she asked, curling up into a ball.

"No, we're just shocked," Tonks explained.

"Miss Granger might I advise informing Mrs. Weasley as that would give you someone to talk to about your concerns or anything," Dumbledore suggested.

"Yeah, sure, uh, I'll go write to her," she agreed a bit reluctantly.

"Actually, there is a meeting that Remus and I are late for, we could just tell her then," Tonks suggested. "Just tell me how much to tell her."

"Tell her everything," Hermione figured, she was bound to find out anyhow.

"You're sure?" Tonks clarified.

"Yeah, and thank you," she told the older woman.

"It's no problem what so ever," Tonks told her, giving her a last hug and heading for the fireplace.

"Take care Hermione, and if you need anything, I'll be there," Remus assured her, giving her a hug and following Tonks. Hermione watched her friends leave, feeling less alone now.

"Professor?" she asked suddenly, "What am I suppose to tell the boys?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note- Thank you to my reviewers. You helped fuel this chapter a bit. Or at least you forced my conscience into writing it in between chapters. So thank you.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or the other characters, but if you are the owner, want to sell me Tom?**

"That is up to you to decide Hermione. You can tell them everything or nothing, but they will find out sometime," he warned her. She understood, but still needed to think on it. However, someone had other ideas.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted her as he and Ron walked into the room.

"Hi guys," she said with her best smile. It was decided, she would not tell them yet.

"How are you?" Ron asked voice laced with concern.

"I'm good, well, have you heard?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're sorry to hear about your family. Do you have anywhere to go?" Ron asked.

"No not at the moment," she confessed. "Oh Harry, don't look so grim."

"Sorry Hermione, it's just, I kind of know what it's like not having your parents, though I assume it must be harder knowing them and then losing them," he reasoned.

"I don't know, but really, I'm gloomy enough, I don't need you moping about," she told him. Harry gave her a small smile, agreeing to brighten up.

"You could stay with us until you find somewhere," Ron offered.

"Thanks, I'll talk to your parents and see," she thanked him. And speak of the devil, Mrs. Weasley rushed into the room, enveloping the girl in a huge hug.

"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry to hear everything. Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine Mrs. Weasley," she replied, glancing at the boys. Molly caught notice of this and rushed them from the room.

"Now really, how are you?" the older woman asked with a frown.

"What can I say? I just found out my parents died, I'm in love with and carrying the child of the darkest wizard of our time, not the mention the sworn enemy of my best friend," she explained, "Not too great one could say."

"Oh my child, wait, did you say love?" she asked astounded. Did she?

"Yes, I did. Mrs. Weasley, the boy, man, I meet was not the cold-blooded murder you know. He was so different," she explained, "and I fell in love with him."

"Oh dear, you do know that it would be foolish to go after him right?" she asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered simply.

"Well, I'm sure you must have a million questions right now, right?" Molly asked.

"Actually, not at the moment, well not concerning this at least," Hermione corrected. "I was wondering though, if it would be any trouble for me to stay with you until I find a place of my own."

"Oh of course not, you are welcome to stay when ever and however long you need," she told her.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," she thanked her, giving her an appreciative hug.

"No problem, now tell me about him," she demanded curiously.

Xxxxxxxxx

Hermione was released the day after that. She was welcomed back her tower and asked so many questions, she hated the question mark. The month ran smoothly, as if she had never left. However, that was to change.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were returning from the library when a storm of hushed voices filtered from around the corner. Curiosity peaked; they peered around the corner to find a frightening sight.

"Rookwood, keep your voice down you fool," Lucius Malfoy hissed. Twenty or more Death Eaters were gathered around the witch statue, filtering out of the hump.

"Alright, just back away slowly, and we'll go get Dumbledore," Harry instructed. Unfortunately, one of Hermione's tomes would choose that moment to fall. The slam rang through the deathly silent hall. "RUN!" Harry cried and the three teens took off down the hall. The death eaters were too quick though and quickly stunned them.

"Mr. Potter, what a pleasure it is for you to join us. And your friends too of course," Malfoy greeted them, his acidic grin forcing down on them. "The Dark Lord will be most excited about seeing you again." Panic swept over the three and, as in most dire situations, random thoughts popped into Hermione's mind.

'Will he recognize me?'


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Note- I love you people. I have never gotten so much feedback with my other stories. Ok, the end of the evil little cliffie, which you can partially blame my parents on this time. Anyway, on with the story, I doubt you all read this anyways…**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the characters, but that's cause Tommy ran away… evil little muse…**

As consciousness returned, Hermione surveyed her surroundings. Harry was kneeling to her left with Ron on his other side. They were bound to keep from running and disarmed. She guessed they had finally figured out they could not win a fight. The room was cold, made entirely of stone, not unlike the dungeons. Death Eaters lined the walls, whispering about their hostages.

A set of double doors on the wall facing them opened, putting an end to the murmurs. Twelve more people filtered in, creating a half circle behind the teens. On their way past, they shot them triumphant sneers, except one Severus Snape. They now knew that he was on their side and was not a large threat to them. Hermione, and probably the boys as well, found it ironic that the face of the hated Potions Master was a comforting sight. Suddenly, all occupants dropped to their knees, foreheads pressed to the floor, as a dark figure approached.

Lord Voldemort entered the room, robe billowing behind him, movements confident and purposeful. However, that was all that remained of Tom Riddle. His face was pasty white and sunken, eyes a bright, emotionless scarlet. His once thick, wavy hair that Hermione had enjoyed ruffling was gone. His nose too was nonexistent, only two slits remaining. He wore a cold, menacing smirk as he approached Harry.

"My friends rise, for this day is as much your triumph, as mine," he greet his cronies. Hermione heard two scoffs resonate from her friends, as they both knew that he never viewed them as friends, hardly acquaintances. "Harry Potter, welcome to out humble gathering. I think you will find yourself to be almost a, a guest of honor shall we say."

"You won't get away with this!" Harry spat, fear filling his voice all the same. A cold, humorless laugh escaped Voldemort at the comment. He knew he could win, and he planned on it.

"I've yet to witness these excellent manners I've heard so much about," he cruelly teased the boy.

"You're one to talk," Hermione thought aloud, immediately cursing herself for her stupidity.

"You want manners girl? Then I will show them to you," he responded, hardly glancing at her. "Mr. Potter, you and your friends have caught me in a good mood, and your little girlfriend here seems to think me devoid of courtesy so, instead of prolonging your miserable existence, I'll just end it now," he told the boy, raising his wand.

"NO TOM!" Hermione shrieked. "Please don't. For me, spare him," she pleaded. Voldemort froze, though whether it was from the use of his birth name or from being spoken to in such a manner she knew not. However, he quickly regained himself and drew toward her.

"My dear, I do not know of whom you speak, but I must ask you to reframe from shouting," he told her smoothly, much like a parent to a young child. "And who are you that I should spare his life?"

"My name… my name is Hermione Granger," she told him firmly. Stunned disbelief filled his eyes, but only for a moment as anger took over.

"LIAR!" he yelled pulling her to her feet. "Tell the truth, who are you?"

"I'm not lying, Riddle," she bit back. Oh, she was so dead this time.

"Don't call me that," he hissed so quietly she strained to here him.

"But you gave me permission to," she smirked back. Might as well end it all on a good note right?

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I will deal with you later. Then maybe we can come to the bottom of this mystery."

"You want me to prove it?" she asked in slight disgust, "Then I will. Your name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, you grew up in an orphanage because your father abandoned you, you wanted to be the DADA teacher. You recorded all your conversations because you never know when they might be useful, you are an amazing dancer, and have a silly fear of llamas. I met you when you were in sixth year and you called yourself, who you are now, a monster," she added breathlessly, tears stinging her eyes. Voldemort slowly turned to face her, questions written across his face.

"I will teach you to tell lies like that! CRUCIO!" a young follower yelled. Hermione fell to the floor screaming in pain, wishing for the release of death. But just as quickly as it started, it stopped. She slowly opened her eyes to see Voldemort cornering the boy, wand drawn.

"Never," he began, voice filled with hatred, "do that again."

"Y-y-yes m'lord," he stuttered out, "I-I-I apologize, it won't happen again." A pregnant pause filled the room, until finally the dark lord spoke.

"Good," he said pleasantly, a creepy smile on his face, "but just to make sure…" and a green jet of light shot from the wand tip, the boy dropping to the ground. "Professor Snape, you will accompany your students to the holding chamber, make sure they don't escape," he warned.

"Yes my lord," the cold, familiar voice droned obediently. He hauled the three to their feet and led them away. "Are you all okay?"

"Fine," the boys chorused, looking at Hermione as if she had two heads.

"Miss Granger?" he asked concerned. Hermione did not trust herself to speak and merely nodded. "That was some save, but do not let it happen again."

"Why? It saved Harry," she finally spoke.

"On most other days he would have killed you on the spot," he informed her. "Again, don't let it happen again," he warned her as he let them into a smaller room. The door snapped behind them and the boys gave her expectant looks.

"What the bloody hell happened back there?" Ron asked finally.

"I don't know what you mean," she lied, turning away.

"Hermione, you just said you knew him, that you met him on your trip," Harry told her. "We need to know what happened."

"Just, promise me you will let me get it all out, no questions asked," she compromised. Her friends nodded in agreement and she reluctantly launched into her story. "Yes, I met Tom Riddle there. He was actually the one that found me and took me to Dippet's office. Lovely little greeting that was, I was radiating hate and he looked like I was interfering with some plans of his. The next morning he welcomed me to the school and hoped that I enjoyed my stay, and kissed my hand. He had a reputation for being a gentleman and had the girls' hearts in his hand. We had potions together, I was forced to sit by him, and we talked a bit. He was a nice person, made you feel like what you said was important. It was a pleasant hour meeting, unlike our first one. Well, afterwards, he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him and I accepted hoping that I could change him, though we know how that turned out. Anyway, that Saturday we met up and he asked about my family and eventually I told him that they were muggles," the boys exchanged knowing looks. "Well, we got into a heated battle of why he dislikes them and he told me about his childhood which you both know about. I told him that should give it a bit of thought and he did think about it and asked if we could stay together. We had a lot of fun, he was funny, charming, not evil, "she added to their shock, "and I started to really like him. Oh Ron, chill out!" she exclaimed as his face distorted in anger. He liked her and she knew it. "Anyway, two days before I had to leave there was a dance and we went together and that's were I learned of his amazing dancing skills. Oh yes boys, Voldemort can dance," as they laughed their heads off. "Anyway, the night didn't end that pleasantly though. We ended up a tad, well, really drunk, and slept together. The amazing thing though, is I wasn't mad at him and wanted to stay with him. I love… loved, him," she confessed. Harry and Ron gave her the two-headed look again.

"Hermione, you do realize who Tom Riddle is right?" Harry asked.

"Love? No Hermione, it can't be," Ron thought aloud.

"Sorry Ron, but it is true, and yes Harry, I do know who he is now and I assure you I fell nothing for that monster! He is not the man I fell in neither love with nor the father of my child," she shouted, forgetting herself.

"WHAT?" three voices shouted in unison. The three turned to see a startled Lucius Malfoy staring at her. A long stream of profanity fell from her mouth as she realized what she had just revealed.

"Need something Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked bitterly, hoping to make the situation less awkward for his friend.

"The Dark Lord wishes to speak with Miss Granger," he answered hollowly.

"Very well," she answered bitterly, approaching the despicable man. He sharply turned and led her down the hall.

"Good luck," Harry called after her.

"BLOODY HELL HARRY! SHE'S HAVING BLEEDING VOLDEMORT'S KID!" she heard Ron shriek at his friend. Poor Ron, this must be terribly hard on him. She wondered how Harry was taking it.

For what seemed like an hour they traveled through the long winding corridors of the, guessing it to be, castle. Finally, they stopped outside a magnificently carved door. The door slowly, dramatically almost, creaked open to reveal Voldemort sitting on the edge of a cherry oak desk, looking almost laid back and casual. If the situation had not been as serious as it was, Hermione might have laughed aloud.

"You may leave Malfoy," he dismissed her tour guide.

"Actually my lord, I have some information that might be of some interest to you," he nervously voiced. Voldemort gave him a pointed look and cautiously Malfoy approached his leader. He quickly whispered the news and backed away. Whether this surprised him or not, she did not know, his expression remained blank.

"Thank you, that was quite… intriguing. You will go now," he finalized. Malfoy quickly exited the room leaving them alone. "Miss Granger," he greeted her.

"Riddle," she answered back calmly.

"Have you lost brain power over the last fifty years? You are not to call me that," he snapped.

"To me it's only been a month and the real you told me I did not have to address you by this disguise," she answered back, a bit hurt by his words.

"Just as quick witted aren't you?" he commented. She rolled her eyes, wishing he would get to the point.

"Is there a reason you wanted me here other than to torture me?" she snapped after a long silence. Wait torture her? That was not the best sentence she could have used. Way to go, putting ideas in his head. For the second time that night, he laughed emotionlessly.

"Actually that was what I was going to do, but I realize now, you are you," he told her. "But now, perhaps we could catch up?" Well that was not exactly what she had expected to hear.

"Not much to say really. I know what happened to you, and not much is up with me," she shrugged.

"When were you planning on telling me?" he asked her seriously.

"Never," she answered simply.

"You weren't planning on telling me I was to be a father?" he clarified.

"I don't see why I would, considering that you aren't the father," she replied calmly. His eyes burned through her.

"You just confessed it to your friends," he argued. She laughed at this wondering how many times she would have to explain it.

"Tom Riddle is, Voldemort is not, and before you say anything, they really aren't the same person," she answered his next question.

"Tom Riddle was a fool, a muggle-loving fool. I, on the other hand, am powerful, level headed, and why are you laughing?" he asked in surprise.

"Muggle-loving fool? You tolerated or ignored them, not loved them in any way," she laughed, "and level headed you most certainly are not." Although he would never admit it, something snapped deep inside him. She was not going to tell him. That would almost make him as bad as his father. She thought him mentally unstable too; he had pushed her away. Why did he care though? Lord Voldemort was not supposed to feel. She was just the remains of a silly crush from half a decade ago. Still, something ached deep inside him.

"You will go back to your chamber now," he told her, his voice distant and elsewhere. She turned, hoping to find her way back. Nevertheless, something confused her. Had he been hurt by her comment? Well, served him right. Luckily, Malfoy was there to take her back though he was a bit startled to see her unscathed.


	10. chapter 10

**A/n- well this was remedied soon… in actuality it was an idea I was fiddling with even as I typed up the note. Sorry this is so short, figured it's better to write this than to over think it right?**

**Disclaimer- I OWN THE PLOT! MWHAHAHAHA! WHAT NOW?**

The door slammed open as Harry was once again thrown into the chamber and Ron dragged out. Hermione once again pulled him into her lap and wiped the hair of his head. For the past week the boys would be called upon daily, sometimes more so, and tortured. Hermione became their private nurse. Voldemort's mood had been particularly foul since their little chat, even the regulars were saying so.

"Oh Harry, just hang on," she whispered to her sleeping friend, "Help will arrive soon." She seriously hoped her words would be true. She continued softly talking to him, speaking of better times and past adventures. "And remember the look on Malfoy's face when he was turned back?" she softly laughed at the memory. Her happiness was disrupted as Ron was tossed back in. A low moan escaped his lips.

Hermione gently put Harry down and crawled over to Ron. He leaned against her shoulder heavily, starved of all energy. Tears finally fell down his face as all the bitter emotion and pain from the last seven days washed over him. Hermione stroked his hair and tried to comfort him as he wept. Eventually he calmed down.

"I'm scared Hermione," he whispered.

"I know Ron. I am too," she answered him.

"Amazingly, I think you have nothing to be afraid of," he replied, his voice weak.

"No, he talks about you too much to hurt you. I think- I think he still loves you, but doesn't want to admit it. You're the only to have hurt Voldemort," he almost laughed. Hermione stared at him. What did he mean?

"I think you're losing it Ronald," she argued.

"No, all his rantings are you. If you listen close enough you hear the hurt in his voice. Call me crazy again, but I think you might be able to change him," he thought aloud, struggling to remain conscience.

"I thought so too Ron, a long time ago. I don't think it could happen now especially with everything that has happened," she murmured.

"Did you love him?" she struggled to here.

"Yeah, I did," she admitted after a long moment.

"Tell me about him. As your best friend, it is my job to ensure that you don't date a total weirdo," he joked.

"It doesn't matter now. Nothing could happen," she replied sadly.

"Please? Sometimes we all need a hero and this guy has to be it. He," he cut off, taking a deep breath, "he fulfilled my wish that you would be happy even if it wasn't with me." Hermione felt hot tears run down her face at his words. True, she didn't love Ron like that but he was her best friend and almost her brother. She reluctantly began telling him about Tom, watching as he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Meanwhile, someone was watching them.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Voldemort felt a long forgotten emotion well up inside him. His breath caught as she fulfilled his dream. She loved him? No, she didn't love him, she loved his past self. The happiness was quickly replaced by hatred. Hatred at her for leaving, for not being able to give him a chance. Hatred at Harry for coming between them, being the reason she despised him. Hatred at Ron for having to make those memories appear. But mostly, hatred at himself for he was the real reason she could not accept him. He let himself slip down that path to become this monster who he could not leave behind. Lord Voldemort was his very being now, Tom was long forgotten, dead. No, he could not change even for her, and his continued existence depended on it. Perhaps if the prophecy hadn't been learned, but no, he was too deep even then. All he could do, was hope that eventually she could learn to see past this and let him back into her life, and their child's life.

Though he did not know this person, he still felt responsible for it. He had made a vow long ago to not be like his father in every way possible. This was why he did not take his anger out on Hermione. His father had done that and he despised him. He looked out at the woman he loved, crying softly for her friends and possibly, he dared to hope, for him. He wanted to go in there and pull her to him, taking her grief away. But how could he being the source of that grief? She hated him now, it was obvious, and it killed him.

He stood quickly and stalked out of the room, placing his walls up again. He'd just have to try harder to forget her.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- okay, this is going to sound strange to most but bear with me. I appreciate your enthusiasm when you comment/ review, however, a lack of comments concerning my murder would be greatly appreciated. So, if you could just observe that from now on I have no other complaints. Well, on about your guys' comments anyway. Now to my History teacher that is another thing. (grabs anchor and crane) MWHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Okay, so tell me what you guys think of this and enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter and his characters… but then again, Voldie is a bit different here so he could possibly be mine. (evil grin) NO NOT THE STRAIGHTJACKET!! (is dragged away)**

"Miss Granger," Rookwood addressed her as he tossed Harry back in, "My Lord wishes to speak with you." Hermione resisted the urge to scream her refusal at him at the sight of her weak, almost dead friends, but knew no good could come of it and reluctantly walked out. For the past two weeks, he would call Ron and Harry to him, torture them, and send them back, but he never asked for her after their first meeting. She nervously swallowed as she approached the foreboding door. She knocked steadily and it creaked open allowing her in.

Voldemort glanced up at her, acting as if she was a mere inconvenience, quite different from their last meeting. He set down his quill that had been furiously, passing over a piece of parchment and folded his long fingers. He stared at her, making her feel like a hunted animal, and maybe she was not far from the truth. Finally, she glanced down, allowing him the victory.

"You must be wondering why I called you here right?" he asked emotionlessly. She nodded quickly acting like a student before an irate teacher then a woman in front of her past lover. "I'm sending you back. I have no use for you. You are not part of a prophecy or from a family deeply rooted in the Order," he told her simply. She shot up, searching his frightening red eyes for a lie. Surely, he did not mean it. Did he not want to be a part of her life, of their child's life? He was going to separate her from her friends, knowing it would kill her. He was gone, out of her reach. A sly tear rolled down her face. She should not have gotten her hopes up that she could change him.

Voldemort resisted the urge to reach out and comfort her. He had a reputation to uphold, a job to fulfill. She simply complicated it and he did not want her to get hurt. Sending her away would be better for her, and he could forget her once more. Besides, his son, he felt it would be as such, would have a better life, one free of persecution until he was in a stable position, not fighting a war.

"Please don't do this to me," she begged. She wanted to stay.

"It's for the best," he stated simply, his heart pounding at the idea of her asking to stay even now.

"My friends need me!" she pleaded. "Let me stay for their sake!" Of course, he wasn't the reason for this.

"They are my enemies. It would only be harder on you for once I get the needed information, they will be disposed of," he informed her coldly. She jumped to her feet, pounding her fists on the desk.

"No Tom, no, this isn't you, you aren't suppose to be like this! Come back to me. You are a good person deep down. You just need to let go of the hurt," she told him forcefully, dropping to her knees. He was about to respond when Malfoy rushed in.

"M'lord, they've been taken. Order members stormed the building and several managed to make it past us with the prisoners," he informed him, visibly trembling. The room temperature dropped several degrees and a cabinet behind him burst into flame.

"Bring Snape to me," he ordered darkly. This was the Voldemort she had heard about, the dark, evil wizard that gave a person reason to fear his name. A wave of pity went out to her teacher. Ten minutes later, a very scared Snape was brought before the even angrier dark lord.

"M'lord," Snape greeted robotically, bowing as low as he could.

"You told them of our whereabouts," Voldemort accused.

"No sir, I swear I never mentioned it," Snape defended urgently.

"You're lying to me Severus. _Crucio_," he hissed, causing the professor to drop to the floor, struggling not to scream out.

"STOP IT!" Hermione yelled, not being able to bear this. Voldemort ignored her and continued for another long thirty seconds.

"Might as well confess Severus," he goaded him, giving him the trademark cruel smile.

"I- didn't- tell," Severus choked out.

"Do you know what happens to liars Snape?" Voldemort asked him with false calmness. Snape's eyes widened in fear as he realized what was about to happen.

"He didn't tell them! Someone else did, I swear it wasn't him though," Hermione yelled, hoping to spare his life.

"Tell me then, who did reveal this if not for my double-crossing spy?" he asked her, clear irritation in his voice.

"Draco Malfoy," she stated evenly, knowing she had just signed his death warrant if he should be located.

"That's a lie!" Malfoy yelled at the girl, horribly insulted that a member of his family would commit such treason.

"Actually, she's not lying Lucius," Voldemort corrected, viewing her in a new light, "I want you to track down the boy and bring him to me." Malfoy was silent for a moment, letting this sink in, the swiftly bowed and stormed out, a shriek of anger following moments later. "My dear professor, I am so very sorry about this misunderstanding, but surely you see where it came from," he falsely apologized.

"Of course m'lord," Snape choked out, still in agonizing pain.

"Very good, you may return to your post," he dismissed. Snape pulled himself from the floor and staggered from the room. Hermione desperately wanted to run after him and help him, but she knew that that would make everything overall worse. For one, Voldemort would be even angrier and second, the potions master was a proud man who would not want her help. She stayed rooted to the spot.

"Well," he interrupted her thoughts, "this changes everything. We can't have you leaving now, nor can we have you stay in the same place." Hermione was slightly relieved that her wish was to being fulfilled but this last outburst made her more hesitant. He was unpredictable.

"I figured as such," she responded in a distant whisper.

"Of course not, you know me better than that," he agreed, "follow me." He indicated with a slight nod of his head. She followed him into the corridor and examined his movements. He still walked the same way, dignified and powerful, looking like he had a purpose. On a sudden impulse, she put her arm through hers like she had so many times before. A snort that clearly said, 'figures' escaped him, but he didn't pull away like she had thought. She looked up and saw a slight smirk on his thin lips. It was not Tom's smile that brightened an entire room, but it was a start.

Their journey seemed to have no end. Hermione was hopelessly lost and had a feeling that he had planned it as such. Finally, he abruptly stopped and pulled out his wand. Hermione pulled away in fear, backing up against the wall, eyes tight so she would not have to see him kill her. However, the sound of brick sliding caused her to open. Voldemort slipped his wand back into a pocket as he eyed her amused at her antics.

"I never thought you were the jumpy kind 'Mione," he almost laughed.

"Well excuse me for being scared when the Dark Lord pulls out his wand in a deserted hallway," she bit back, her pride hurt.

"You're forgiven," he joked, bowing her into the newly uncovered room. She rolled her eyes and entered, her breath immediately stolen. A large window was enchanted to show the lake of Hogwarts with the school in the background. A full sized four-poster bed was on an adjacent wall with red and gold dressings. The entire room actually was red and gold. A dark oak chest and desk was on the wall opposite the bed with an elegant mirror.

"Oh my, Tom this is wonderful," she gasped.

"It should be," he answered her proudly; "it was made for you. Just now, I'm not so pathetic to have this planned for years," he clarified at her confused look. 'Of course,' she thought, 'a simple charm would have fixed everything.' "If you need anything, just ask the drawers, they are quite useful. But be warned, I will be alerted to your requests so don't try and use them to break out," he warned. She nodded in understanding, and then ran and hugged him.

"Thanks for making this a bit easier," she told him gratefully. He stiffened at her touch, unaccustomed to being touched. She finally let go when she realized he was uncomfortable and back away.

"It's really no problem, besides you're guarded better here," he answered her. She nodded and began fidgeting not knowing what to say. He honestly didn't know what to say or do either and, panicking, left and sealed the room. 'Smooth Tom' he thought as he stalked down the corridor but then balked. 'Tom? Since when were you Tom? You are Lord flippin' Voldemort not Tom. Darn that girl, getting the better of you. Uhm, Volddie, you are late for a meeting,' that little voice reminded him. He rushed towards the conference room as various objects lit on fire.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Voldemort stared at his followers, watching them squirm under his gaze. This was not one of the happier meetings after the break in. However, it was not, amazingly the worst either. Twelve Order members were killed, five more were in custody. It seems that only a certain Nymphadora Tonks had made it past. She has improved since their last meeting in the Ministry.

"Is that it then?" he asked, breaking the deafening silence.

"My lord," one of the younger members began cautiously, "I was wondering what was to be done about the Potter child."

"Have you not been listening this entire time?" he asked too calmly.

"I have my lord, but that's not the one I'm referring to. I mean the one Miss Granger is carrying," he clarified. Voldemort let a small smirk grace his features, instilling more fear in the young Death Eater and turned to Malfoy. So, he had not revealed what he had learned. He would remember this the next time he tortured him.

"That, is not a Potter, my young friend, nor is it a Weasley as some of you might have thought," he corrected. "Nothing is to be done about it, though I will say this only once for I don't like repeating myself. You will show Miss Granger the utmost respect. If not, you will be explaining yourselves to me," he threatened, rising to his feet, signaling the end of the gathering.

"Sir," McNair interrupted, "although this is probably very wrong, I must know is it your child?" The smirk grew at the question.

"You've earned another brownie point McNair, good job," is all he said and walked away, leaving his stunned supporters behind. And he thought they were all stupid.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- Hey, my e-mail is being stupid like the death eaters have a tendency to be. So I'm going to thank you all on here like the good old days.**

**Elizabeth- irony can be beautiful can't it.**

**Crystalizedheart- I have found that you can always write a character so they aren't as evil anymore, also that you can make a character do anything as long as you can justify it, so basically a character is never ooc. That was random. Powerful though? That was not a word I would have expected but thanks.**

**Ashly- I know that now, thanks.**

**Lightmoon-angel- You get a golden star for that, thank you.**

**Bookmusicfreak- Your name just described me, lol. Hopefully this is soon enough though if my fanfic experiences have taught me anything is that updates never come soon enough and the story ends too soon, unless it's one of those were it's dragged out until you can't remember how it started and the original characters don't appear at all.**

**Gueneviere- Of course voldie has to be funny, he is afraid of purple llamas for goodness sakes! Or there's the fact that we get to see inside his mind which the book doesn't show….hehehehehe.**

**Lisa- Thank you for the correction, I just watched movie 4 and was like, Oh, I got that wrong, and I call myself a fan… I will change that. uhm what constant misspellings, obviously I'm not aware of them.**

**Miranda- I hope you know I didn't mean to cause you pain…hopefully this will relieve it a bit.**

**Giggles- Glad you like it!**

**Oh, and if there is any confusion about the year, it's their sixth so book 6 did not happen.**

**Disclaimer- I do not blah blah blah**

Hermione lay on her back on the fluffy mattress, staring up at the ceiling, rubbing the bump that was forming on her stomach. She appeared calm but her mind was working over time. In the last three hours she had seen cool, calm, and collected Voldemort, the frightening and evil Voldemort, and someone who almost was Tom. Either there was a personal battle going on inside the mysterious man or he had a split personality problem, and she seriously hoped is was the former because she could fix that. She knew that she would be seeing a lot more of her captor than in the last two month and she figured that if she could appeal to the Tom part of him, maybe she could turn him back. The sound of grinding masonry brought her out of her thoughts. She rolled over on her side and faced the man she'd been contemplating.

"Dinner's ready if you care," he told her simply. In all honesty she was starving. She'd been living off some kind of grey mush and it was not the most satisfying thing in the world. She swung her legs over the edge and walked towards the exit.

"How'd your meeting go?" she asked as they walked down together.

"Fine, it's almost boring to watch them tremble as they give a report. I suppose Order meetings don't have that aspect do they," he commented as an afterthought.

"No, from what I've seen, they are very lighthearted at times with a lot of bickering between people," she agreed, careful not go give names. A silence fell between them. "Can I ask you something?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes, you might not get an answer though," he told her.

"Who died in the battle?" she inquired quietly, steeling herself for the answer.

"No one we recognized. None mainstream members," he answered unfeelingly. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief that her friends had not perished. "However, Greyback fell today. Do you know him?" he asked mildly interested.

"I've heard of him, but never had the…pleasure of meeting him," she answered.

"You do not have to be polite about him Hermione. He's an unpleasant thing to be around. I've repulsed by him, and if he weren't essential to me, I'd have forced him to kick the bucket years ago," he admitted evenly, as if commenting on something ordinary.

"How can a monster like that be necessary? Werewolves can be decent people but it's people like him that give them a bad name and force good, hardworking citizens like Remus to be forced into poverty! You caused it too! The reforms that Umbridge set up are only made possible because you allow him to attack children!" she vented. "If it weren't for you too, my friend would have an ordinary life."

"Remus, Remus Lupin is it?" he clarified thoughtfully. She nodded irritably and glared at the floor ahead of her. "Yes, his turning was unfortunate. I heard he was a brilliant student too, like his great-aunt. He could have been a valuable asset if he wasn't so close to Dumbledore," he mused.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten him bitten," she spat.

"Actually, that wasn't my doing. That was a personal matter between Greyback and Lupin Sr.," he corrected. Hermione's eyes widened in shock at this, and immediately she felt like a fool for accusing him of something he didn't do.

"You still have many other people's suffering on your hands though, and you killed Ashland," she pointed out, feeling less guilty.

"It comes with the job," he said emotionlessly. She stared at him with slight disgust at how calmly he was taking this. This was almost inhuman reaction.

"What made you give up your dreams of being a teacher?" she asked suddenly, seeing if he'd admit it.

"You already know that so I won't bother answering," he refused.

"So it is true then. That's actually kind of sweet, and clichéd," she added for she knew he hated being cliché. And as if on queue he flinched softly. She laughed under breath as he glared down at her with purple eyes. Wait a minute, purple, that meant Tom was coming back. Maybe Ron was right. He however must have noticed the difference and soon they were back to the blood red. Again, it was an improvement.

They entered the elaborate dining room done up in silver, green, and dark woods. It was very Slytherin which was only to be expected from the heir himself. Voldemort, ever one for manners, pulled out a chair for her and once she was seated, took one to her left, the head of the table naturally. Two house elves walked out of a side door carrying two platters and placed them before the two.

"You have house elves," she observed with disgust.

"I seem to be getting that tone from you a lot tonight. Is there something wrong with this?" he asked in total confusion. Was she always like this, was it hormones, or had he done something?

"I sort of campaign around the school for elf rights," she informed him with a slight blush. He gave her a real smile and bit back a laugh. "It is not funny! They deserve equal treatment! Did my spew back there not get that point across?"

"I apologize, that was just a bit random," he told her honestly, making her sigh and drum her fingers on the table top. "I do hope that they have not stolen your appetite as they have prepared your favorite," he told her. Hermione quickly removed the platter cover and stared at him.

"You remembered that I have an unnatural liking for French onion soup?" she asked in disbelief.

"You seem to be underestimating my memory. I also remember that you still sleep with a pink rabbit named Mr. Carrots," he reminisced. She turned a bright red that put Ron to shame. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he tried to comfort her. Instead of replying she opted to shovel food into her mouth. "As I said long ago, are the nineties so devoid of manners?" he asked nobody as he began on his meal too, though more delicately.

"You know," Hermione began a few moments later, breaking the silence, "I think I have a way for your cronies to stop fearing so much."

"Why would I want them to not fear me?" he asked as if it were a preposterous idea.

"Because then maybe meetings would not be so boring," she answered, recalling one of his comments.

"Possibly, so what is this ingenious idea?" he continued, interested in what she had come up with.

"You should do a karaoke night," she advised. Voldemort chocked on the spoonful he had unwisely tried to swallow and took a moment to recover.

"Karaoke, as in the muggle game were people make fools of themselves while trying to sing?" he questioned.

"Yes, you would not have to sing yourself, but perhaps if they saw you had a lighter side then they would at least stop trembling and tripping over their words," she reasoned.

"No," he dismissed, "not going to happen."

"Alright, just an idea," she shrugged, he was a bit dramatic about it.

xxxxxxxxx

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, not recognizing this part of the castle.

"The library, I figured it would distract you for sheer boredom," he answered, pulling a door open. The entire room was lined from floor to ceiling with books of all sizes. Hermione quickly walked over to the nearest shelf and began studying the titles.

"Still a bookworm aye Tom," she teased him.

"Knowledge is power Hermione," he told her proudly. She shrugged indifferently and pulled three books from the shelf. He noted that they were all over three inches thick.

"These should get me through the night," she informed him, saying he could take her back. He retrieved his current novel and sealed the door. "What are you reading?" she asked, trying to catch the title. It was a small book, something she could finish in a hour or so. He swiftly shifted it to the other hand, placing as much difference between her and the book. Hermione was clever though and reached around him and pulled it out of his unsuspecting grasp.

"Hey give it back!" he yelled, but she ran ahead of him. He chased her and managed to tackle her to the ground, forgetting that he could have stunned her in the first place.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad, I mean- oh my gosh," she gasped as she saw the title. He ripped it from her hands but the damage was done. "You're reading Star Wars episode 7?" she laughed.

"It's a good bit of literature!" he defended, getting back to his feet.

"Never said it wasn't, but you, a muggle hater is reading a muggle book. It's like a sign of the apocalypse," she enlightened him. He stormed off, his ego hurt and she ran after. "Hey, I'm sorry, but you must see the humor in it."

"Hardly," he answered.

"Actually, I've read them myself so I don't blame you for it. They can be addictive," she continued, not enjoying this mood of his.

"You are a terrible suck up Hermione," he smiled, glad to know his acting skills were still in place.

"Why you, UGH men," she muttered under her breath. He had to admit, ruffling her feathers was entertaining. A few minutes passes in silence then she spoke again. "What made you want to read them anyways?"

"Parker is stationed at an orphanage in London and one of the kids recommended it to him and since he has a soft spot for the kid, he read it. I was in a less than glamorous mood and was griping about a lack of reading material and he lent it to me. I will admit I was reluctant to read it, but it's not too bad," he explained. She nodded simply and waited for him to unlock her door.

"Good night Thomas," she said softly leaning on the door way.

"Be thankful there isn't a lake near by," he growled. She laughed and kissed him softly on the cheek, reveling in the startled look.

"Good night Hermione," he chocked out, and sealed the passage way. Hermione changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed with a book.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Voldemort tossed the book aside, his mind to busy to follow a plot line. He stood up and began to pace his Slytherin room. It just didn't make sense! He made her life miserable, tortured her friends and here she was acting like it had not happened! She was messing with his devious mind. He glanced at the mirror and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were blue again! Not purple, but blue! That was a first in a long while. He thought of everything, his past, Harry, but nothing made them go back to the red. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'maybe a strong bout of nightmares is all I need.' He sat on the edge of his bed trying to convince himself to sleep but it was decided that he would not. A small scroll appeared on his bedside table and he happily unrolled it. It was a list of Hermione's requests and it confused him.

_At 9:30p.m. the following were requested by Hermione Jane Granger._

_tissues_

_parchment_

_quill_

_ink_

_pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream_

_spoon_

He stared at the list looking for a deeper meaning. He wracked his mind for everything he knew about teenage girls. Suddenly, it hit him in the face and he ran from the room. He tapped the bricks and hurried in to see a swollen eyed girl viciously stabbing her ice cream.

"Go 'way Voldemort," she mumbled, refusing to look at him. He, however, refused to listen and instead picked her up and held her as knew sobs arouse.

"What's wrong?" he asked simply.

"A lot of things," she sobbed into his chest.

"I figured that much out. Care to specify?" he teased her softly.

"I'm worried about Harry and Ron," she confessed. "They were so weak when they left and- and I can't be there for them. I don't know if they are okay or anything," she cried. "Then, then there's the thing with Harry and you. I mean, I don't want to lose him. He's my best friend and been through so much that he deserves to live a normal life someday. But on the flip side, I don't want to lose you, though I think I might have already." He held her tightly, her words stinging. He had caused this. He was the reason she was separated from her friends and worried about the life of one of them. He's the reason she'd probably lose them, at least one to his own hand. For once, he wasn't looking forward to the destruction of Harry Potter.

"I'm sorry Hermione," he apologized weakly knowing it would not mean much,

"It's not your fault, sort of. If anything it's Trelawney's fault. She made the bloody prediction in the first place. I knew there was a reason I didn't like her," she laughed sadly. "I thought I could change you."

"You did Hermione," he whispered soothingly.

"Not enough, you still became _him_. I thought I could stop that, but I just created you instead. Ron told me that I could change you back now, but he was delusional. Just got out of a meeting with you he had. I wish he was right," she admitted. He smiled despite the gloomy mood and gently pushed her chin up to look at him.

"I think you'll notice a difference already," he smiled. She searched his face then spotted the new arrival.

"Tom," she gasped, "your eyes, they're blue!"

"This will be hard to explain tomorrow," he laughed.

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"'Mione, I hope you know that I can't change anything. What is suppose to happen will happen. Some day, Harry or I will meet again and one of us will die. But I want to thank you for everything you've done and even if you end up hating me more just remember that the care you've shown me means everything to me," he told her sincerely. Tears filled her eyes and she hugged him as she cried herself to sleep. Once he knew that she was asleep, he pried her off him and gently set her down between the sheets. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her hairline, happy to see the smile that followed it. He reluctantly turned and sealed up the door. Maybe being Tom was not such a bad thing. He quickly shook his head, trying to erase that idea. Obviously this was a sign of sleep deprivation and a break in his routine. However, if he had seen himself in a mirror, he might have noticed that black fuzz that was appearing.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- I have a cut on my hand and I don't know why. I just noticed it during the award ceremony/ debriefing today… why am I telling you this? Oh well, I've very happy, Not only did Delta Company, my company, get honor company, but I was named best squad leader for 2nd platoon. (happy dance) So this might take the happy rout instead of the sadder one… or I could be evil and not. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own this.**

Voldemort stalked down the hall fixing the robes he had thrown on in his haste. There was a meeting this morning to discuss the possibility of recruiting vampires and he forgot about it after last nights events. His mind was still was replaying everything and refused to concentrate. As he neared the conference room he slowed his quick pace and made sure that his emotional barriers were up.

"Any brilliant ideas?" he demanded, as he entered not bothering to apologize. His servants turned to voice their thoughts and froze, every pair of unblinking eyes fixed on him. "As amazing as I am, you do not, no, should not stare," he sarcastically replied to glazed expressions.

"Our apologizes my lord, but have you looked in a mirror this morning by chance?" Lucius inquired timidly.

"What are you implying Malfoy?" he growled. No one commented on his…unique appearance. Malfoy summoned a hand mirror and presented it to his master. Voldemort glanced in it and was about to comment when his eyes grew large. His red eyes were still the crystal blue they had been last night and black hair was sprouting. His nonexistent nose was becoming less nonexistent and there was a bit of color in his face.

"Damn," he swore lightly. "Well, uhm, as this has nothing to do with this gathering I suggest that you forget it and continue like normal," he told them as he absently ran his hand through the inch long hair that had disappeared for thirty years. The stunned cronies snapped out of their haze and tried to act normally, but obviously not everything was the same.

"Just stop!" Voldemort yelled as Johnson fell apart in the middle of another sentence, "As none of you seem to be able to concentrate then this meeting is done. I want you all back here tomorrow at ten with your small minds focused!" He stormed out wondering how he managed to get such idiots. He headed for the library, a comforting place, and mentally screamed at everyone.

This could not be happening to him! If he was looking like his normal self then that meant that, he was regaining his soul back but that was impossible right? He split his soul up long ago. Could if grow back if you suddenly became less evil. WOAH BACK UP!! Less evil? He was the most evil wizard on the face of the earth and in history, he could not afford to be less evil. He would not sink down to his death eaters' level. Well, only one thing could be done, he'd have to go back to his original plan of staying away from Hermione. A stab of pain shot through his cold heart. He did not want to stay way from her. He wanted to be with her forever and make her happy. He had to be around her. Had Ron been right? Damn him, he was his new target just for that. Voldemort collapsed into an armchair, exhausted with his rantings and thought of Hermione.

She was perfect, so happy and understanding, always trying to see the best in people. He did not deserve her, and he thought he deserved everything before now. She was the sweetest torture ever and he was her victim. I mean, she was the thing that made him evil trying to escape her memory. Now he could, with just a simple curse, but he did not want to. He had to be with her. She was a drug that he could not get enough of and he knew it and would happily go on losing himself for her. He was a rather sad case.

Speaking of Hermione, he figured he might want to go check up on her. He almost ran from excitement of seeing her, but realized what he was doing and slowed it to a rushed walk. He hastily tapped the bricks and stepped inside. She was not there. In a panic, he searched the room. He could not find her. Fear gripped him and the world seemed to shatter. However, he was quickly revived as the sound of the bathroom door opening reached his ears. He turned to see Hermione step out in nothing but a towel. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, his breathing stopped.

"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw him. "What happened to you?" she gasped, walking over and running her hand absentmindedly through the new hair. It was soft between her fingers, like corn silk. She was so close to him, so caught up in his transformation, that she did not realize the effect her proximity was creating.

"You happened to me. Honestly I don't know how but I do believe you are causing this," he whispered, exercising every amount of self-control he had.

"So you think Ron was right?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Unfortunately yes," he growled feeding her humor.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she pointed out, "it's not Tom."

"I wish you were right but it really is Hermione. The fight is coming," he mumbled, killing the mood. "If I want to stand a chance during it then I need to be Voldemort. Harry is strong, very strong. He will give me a run for my money and I'm not sure if I can beat him now." Hermione slowly hugged him, tears starting to stream down his face.

"Is it horrible that I almost don't want Harry to win?" she asked.

"No," he answered simply.

"I don't think that it would horrible if he lost. I mean, I would still be hurt by, he's my friend and all, but you aren't the bad guy we thought you were now," she explained.

"'Mione, what happens, happens. Don't worry about it alright?" he tried to comfort her. She smiled sadly, and held on tighter. He was quickly losing his control and gently unwrapped her arms. "Perhaps you should get dressed." She blushed a Weasley red and nodded in agreement. He stepped out quickly and leaned against the closed door to compose himself, unaware that he was being watched.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N- I love you people, not to sound scary, but you guys are way too nice. To those ppl who I can't reply to:**

**Andy; I can't stand the word like now, but glad you enjoyed it so much. I actually do plan on being a writer, though I need to develop a bit of patience before then. Glad you like it and I hope this won't let you down.**

**Giggles- Normally patience is a virtue but not in this case.**

**Sorry Heart, you were WRONG**

**Disclaimer- If I owned this do you think I would be writing it?**

"What's going on? You have word on Hermione?" Harry asked eagerly once everyone was gathered. Snape nodded and organized his thoughts before speaking.

"She's perfectly fine. I've seen her a few times during her captivity and she seems normal, happy actually. It's actually about the dark lord that I called this. He is changing, though I do not know the full extent of it, I have some idea. First, his physical appearance is changing back to that of Tom Riddle. He looks human again, still has that temper with us but is human looking. Then this morning I watched an interaction between him and Miss Granger," he informed them and several gasps filled the silent, tense room. "He cares for her, and she returns his affection. They were discussing his changes and she became very emotional and hugged him. He returned it, a very odd thing for him to do. She began to cry for a reason I do not know and he comforted her and then stepped out of the room and was emotionally stretched. She is affecting him so he's becoming less like Voldemort," he explained. The Order stared at him like he spoke fluent crazy which would not have been far from the truth considering the situation. Dumbledore then rose to his feet and broke the silence.

"It should be known that just because he is slipping back does not mean that he cannot relapse into Voldemort again. It would be best for Miss Granger to be taken out of there as soon as possible. I think it would be best to remove her this weekend," he declared. The others voiced their agreement. Severus then made to leave the room but was stopped by Lupin.

"Where are you going Snape? Don't want to hang around and go over plans?" the werewolf asked curiously.

"Actually, the Dark Lord has made it clear that we are to attend a 'social function' tonight. I do wish to keep my life," Snape answered irritably.

"A social function, what might that be?" Ron laughed.

"Karaoke," Snape growled, ignoring the howling laughter.

xxxxxxxxxx

"So what is this thing?" Tom asked. Tonight he was dropping the Voldemort thing and just being good ol' Tom.

"It's a music player type thing that plays any recorded song from the past, present, and future. The words are then projected on the monitor so the singer can follow along," she explained.

"How low will my reputation drop do you think?" he asked nervously. Why had he taken her up on this?

"This could easily be the most torturous thing you have ever done possibly. Or they will see that you have a human side and respect you even more. I do not think that it will be as bad as you think," she reasoned. He did not believe her but nodded anyway. It would be fun though he had to admit. Promptly at six the death eaters swarmed into the large room and took their seats to wait for their lord and master to speak.

"Welcome my friends, and tonight you are, but just tonight. Our honored guest, Miss Granger has suggested this to brighten up the place. I hope that you will be able to enjoy yourselves and have fun. However, I want to remind all of you that the meeting tomorrow will not be canceled because of this and I expect the same respect normally given. Who's first?" he asked the stunned crowd excitedly. In a rush of confidence Malfoy stepped up and waited for the music to begin. Tom ran back to where Hermione was waiting.

"What are we going to choose for him?" he asked mischievously. Hermione removed the headphones and pressed a button. Apparently Malfoy knew this song because he launched into it will plenty of energy.

_Oh what a night_

_Late December back in '63_

_What a very special time for me_

'_Cause I remember what a night_

The audience was shocked silent. Malfoy could really sing. It was amazing. Really, he chose the wrong career. As the song progressed a few people joined in and in unison they finished the tune.

_Oh what a night_

_Do do do do do do do do do do do. _

Thunderous applause filled the hall and Malfoy haughtily took his seat. McNair took the stager, believing he could do as good a job. Hermione harbored more than a little resentment for the executioner and decided to embarrass him.

"_What a girl wants_

"_What a girl needs_

"_What a girl wants_

"_What a girl needs_

"Master must I?" he screeched. Tom nodded stiffly as he unsuccessfully tried to hide his laughter.

"_I wanna thank you for giving me time to breath_

"_Like a rock you waited patiently…"_

As a certain British judge might have said, 'It was dreadful.' Also, a dieing cat, nails on a chalkboard, worse than Cruciatus would also be accurate descriptions. Nevertheless, when their hearing had died, catcalls rang out. By the end of the song McNair was so red that he could be mistaken for a Christmas ornamate. No one wanted to go up after that so Tom took it into his own hands.

"Snape you're up!" he called and the professor slowly made his way on stage. The soulful guitar filled the room and Snape began the ballad. However, Tom was feeling a tad evil and placed him under the imperious curse.

"I would like to dedicate this to the love of my life, Harry Potter," the man was forced to say. Now, if he were a stupider person he would have killed Tom for that but alas, he knew that would get him no where so instead he sang.

"_Baby slow down_

"_The end is not as fun as the start_

"_Please stay a child somewhere in your heart_

"_I'll give you everything you want_

"_Except the thing that you want_

"_You are the first one of your kind_

"_And you feel like no one before_

"_You steal right under my door_

"_I kneel cause I want you some more_

"_I want a lot of what you got_

"_And I want nothing that you're not_

"_Everywhere you go you shout it_

"_You don't have to be shy about it_

By the end everyone was on the verge of tears, not from sadness or pain but from laughter at the fact that this was dedicated to their hated enemy. Severus was irate by the end and stormed away, shoving the microphone into Tom's hands. Now Tom had not been planning on participating but he did not turn down a challenge. He took the stage waiting to show off his vocal talent. Hermione had other plans though.

"_I know you like me_

"_I know you do_

"_That's why whenever I come around she's all over you_

"_I know you want me_

"_It's easy to see_

"_And in the back of your mind_

"_You know you should be home with me_

'Not too bad,' he thought, ' they seem to not be in pain, good.' Then the chorus came.

"_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me_

"_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me_

"_Don't cha, Don't cha_

"_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me_

"_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me_

"_Don't cha, Don't cha_

Now this was torture. Plus he decided to play the part, Hermione had actually spiked his drink at dinner just for this, and tried to dance as she had during the Spring Dance so many years ago. The audience went wild. At the end he gave a low, dramatic bow and left.

"You're turn love," he told Hermione. She slowly walked out, scared at what was to come. The dreaded music filled the room and Hermione inwardly groaned, refusing to do the intro.

"_I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world_

"_Life is plastic, it's fantastic_

"_You can brush my hair_

"_Undress me anywhere_

She sang in a ridiculously high pitched voice. She glared at Tom who was giving her the perfectly innocent I couldn't- do-anything-wrong- if-I-tried look. She finished the tune and then lunged off the stage and proceeded to whack Tom with a large stick. The rest of the night went off smoothly and everyone left that night in a good mood though with a slightly smaller ego.

"Hermione, thank you for that," Tom thanked her as he let her go for the night.

"It was no problem. I have to admit, you guys know how to have a good time," she admitted with a huge smile.

"It makes for good blackmail material," he thought aloud. She laughed and pushed him away teasingly. "You aren't going to forgive me for the voice are you?"

"I fear I have to. I probably deserved it for making you sing that song though the dance was your fault," she conceded. A silence fell over them and they awkwardly stood there not knowing what to say. Suddenly, Tom reached for her and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck, overcome with the need to be near him. The world melted away and for a moment they were not caught up in a war, there was no huge age difference, they were just two people in love. He reluctantly pulled away and looked down at her with the deepest devotion.

"I love you Hermione," he whispered.

"I love you too Tom. I really do," she whispered back.

"I'm sorry," he apologized for everything. All the pain he had caused her, for not being able to be who she wanted and needed. She shook her head and pulled him close.

"It's not your fault as I've said before. Don't be sorry," she told him. He felt tears sting his eyes.

"You deserve better. Someone whole, young, not out to kill your best friend regardless of how sorry he is, or on the top of the ministry's most wanted list," he argued, tears running down his face. She wiped them away and gave him another gentle kiss.

"But I want you Tom Riddle, only you," she protested. He slowly pulled away and pulled out his wand to seal the door but she ran out to stop him.

"No, don't go," she pleaded. He looked at her curiously wondering what he meant. "Stay with me please?" He gave her a sad smile filled with an unwanted hope and agreed silently.

A/N- Malfoy's song- Oh what a night by ppl I don't know, will get back to you on that

McNair's song- What a girl wants by Christina Aguilera

Snape's song- "Original of a Species" by U2, love this song

Tommy's song- Don't cha by the Pussycat Dolls

Hermione's song- Barbie girl by Aqua


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N- When you get down to the meeting, tell me if you can picture them using those Nextel walkie-talkies like the commercial cause I can.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own HP or anything you see out of the books…**

Lucius Malfoy wandered down the long corridor in search of his master when he stumbled upon a door he had never seen. He knew what it was, the hidden entrance to Granger's room but it was not suppose to be visible unless Voldemort unlocked it. He decided that he should check to make sure she was there and not wandering about trying to escape and pushed the door open gently. What he saw was not what he expected. Tom and Hermione lay spooning on the very Gryffindory bed fast asleep. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, which she was clinging onto. Both looked very peaceful and almost angelic. Defiantly not something he could have even dreamed of seeing. He was admittedly at a loss at what to do. Voldemort was needed at the meeting but waking him could cost him his life. Then again, with these changes he could be merciful and see the reason. He quietly crossed the room and gathered the courage to speak. How do you wake a Dark Lord with dignity?

"M'lord, we need you downstairs," he called out without result. Hermione turned over and snuggled closer into his arms. This was getting disturbing. She needed to go so things could go back to normal. He leaned over the couple and called a bit louder, "Lord Voldemort, get up please!"

"No call me tha Malvoy," Tom slurred in his sleep, "Slug'orn migh' hear you." This was too weird. Not only did he think he was in school but he thought he was his (Malfoy's) father. Well, he'd play along.

"Alright Tom, but if you don't get up you'll be late for Defense!" he argued back. Tom suddenly sat straight up. He surveyed his surroundings and assessed the situation. He pulled out his wand and Malfoy fell to the floor in agonizing pain. He let the curse up when he started to scream. For once in his life, Malfoy was actually glad to be cursed as it meant that his master was still there.

"Never do that again," he hissed to the crumpled servant. He carefully climbed out of bed, making sure not to disturb Hermione and dragged Malfoy by the collar out of the room. "Now what was so important that you had to disturb me so rudely?"

"The meeting started half an hour ago. I came up to make sure you were alright when I noticed the door and decided to see if Granger was still there. I apologize for the disturbance though. I swear I will not speak of it to anyone," he explained, cringing in fear. Voldemort's eyes just shifted to purple and it was not a pleasant sight. Tom let go of the man's robes and nodded in understanding.

"Thank you then," he said finally, "tell them I will be down in ten minutes." Lucius nearly ran away, a little more than a bit scared of this unusual encounter. Tom entered his own room and straightened out his appearance before heading down.

"Good morning Gentlemen, I apologize, late night and all. So, any ideas?" he asked in a very good mood. The Death Eaters shuffled about unsure of his sincerity.

"P-p-perhaps," Wormtail began timidly, "we could approach them with the offer of their denied rights, like the werewolves." Tom stared him down for a moment causing him to sink into his chair.

"Excellent, but should it not be enough, what do we do then?" he asked. They all knew he had a plan but just liked to make them feel important.

"A promise of a position of power in the new order?" Snape suggested bitterly, still holding a grudge from last night.

"Hmm," Tom tossed about, "maybe. Yes that might work. Vampires are rather power hungry creatures. Yes that would work," he agreed. "You want to go?"

"Sorry, what?" Snape asked confused,

"Do you want to go talk to them? You are the most vampiric in appearances, no offense or anything. Perhaps they would take a liking to you more than say Lucius here," Tom reasoned.

"Yes sir, I can go today if you wish," he answered hoping he'd say yes.

"Of course, well it looks like your hard work has paid off, dismissed," Tom told them and hurried from the room. He ran, once he was sure no one was watching, to Hermione's room. She was still asleep, not surprising as it was a short conference. He sat down next to her and gently stroked her hair. He tucked a loose strand behind her ear and traced a finger along her jaw line. He was smitten, no one could deny that watching them. His eyes held no trace of the anger or hatred that he was associated with but only the deepest love. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her temple and watched as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning Love," he greeted her. She looked up at him with a sleepy smile.

"Good morning, you seem to be in a good mood. Who died?" she joked. He gave her a false hurt look.

"I can't just be happy with the fact that I woke up to the most beautiful sight in the world?" he asked. She laughed lightly, pushed herself up, and kissed his lips lightly.

"You're too sweet Tom," she told him.

"I can find about a million people who would say other wise," he informed her with a crooked smile.

"But that's because they don't know my Tom," she pointed out.

"Your Tom, I'm a piece of property now?" he teased.

"You know what I mean," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"What I wouldn't give to be seventeen again," he mumbled as he pulled her to his chest.

"I was actually thinking about that last night. Because you're back to your original self does that mean you're only like twenty or something? I mean Voldemort took over when you were really young, but you're back now," she reasoned. He thought about it and she did have a point. He felt like his old self, looked like it too, did that mean he was twenty-five again?

"I think so Hermione, I really do," he conceded. "Just don't mention this; I don't want the others to know that they are being ruled by a guy half their age."

"It's good to have you back Tom," she whispered, still in the sleep-induced stupor. Tom chewed on the inside of his lip guiltily, some things he could not change though. Oh well, they would be farther in the future, right?

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked him as he lead her blindfolded through the castle later that night.

"You'll see, it's not much farther," he answered softly. She sighed and continued following. A blast of cool air hit her and they stopped. She pulled of the cloth and gasped in amazement. They were in a small courtyard surrounded by white rose bushes. Fairy lights were scattered in the shrubs with floating candles over head contrasting with the twilight sky.

"Oh Tom, it's beautiful," she whispered, hardly able to talk. He gave a small flick of his wand and a brisk waltz filled the air.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with a low bow.

"No, I think I'll refuse you and dance with the ghost," she teased him, allowing him to take her arm. He lead her to the center and with a twirl took her in his arms. "You're still just as good as I remember," she told him lovingly.

"Darn, I've been practicing though," he complained.

"With who, Malfoy?" she asked playfully.

"Oh god, I did not need that image," he gagged, squeezing his eyes shut but remaining on step. She laughed softly and enjoyed the smile that light up his eyes. The music changed to a slow number. They slowly spun on the spot, her head resting on his strong chest. Neither wanted this moment to end. They were alone in the perfect world they created. Just two simple people way too deeply in love to care about anything else. They did not hear the crashing or screaming that came from inside the building. The sounds of battle and thuds of bodies hitting hard surfaces went unnoticed for once in their lives.

"Oh my god!" a familiar voice yelled in shock. They snapped out of the daze and turned to see Harry staring at them.

"Potter," Tom acknowledged him with distain.

"Riddle?" he asked still slightly brain dead.

"Harry I… who's that?" Ron asked as he made his way to the yard.

"Tom Riddle, pleasure to see you again," he greeted the red head.

"Voldemort?" Ron shouted disbelieving.

"No he's not anymore," Hermione spoke up, glad to see her friends were all right.

"Hermione this has to be an illusion. He's using you," Harry accused, his eyes never leaving Tom. A great rush of hatred for the boy swelled with in Tom and he shot an unforgivable at him. Harry dodged it and the two began to circle around each other.

"Never accuse me of using her again," he growled, sending another curse at him which Harry blocked.

"Ron, take Hermione and run," Harry yelled as he shot a spell at Tom. Ron obeyed and began to drag his friend away.

"No Ron, I have to stay," she told him desperately. Ron sighed but allowed it when he saw the sadness of her eyes. They stood along the wall watching the two duel fiercely. They came close to hitting each other many times. Twenty minutes went by but no one could get the upper hand. Suddenly a piece of wall was blow apart from the inside, distracting the two fighters. Tom used this to seize his chance by sending a stunner at Harry, but Ron saw what was happening and jumped in front of it. Tom was caught off guard and Harry stole his wand. Harry pointed his wand straight at his opponent's heart.

"Any last words Riddle?" he asked, a victorious glint in his green eyes.

"No Harry don't," Hermione cried, tears streaming down her face.

"You know I have to Hermione," he told her.

"Don't blame him. I told you this would happen 'Mione. Just remember that I love you even if I can't be there," Tom said sadly but sincerely, making her cry harder. He turned to face Harry as the boy began forming the final spell. "Take care of her," he said finally and fell to the ground as a jet of green light hit him. Hermione ran over to the body pulling it to her. She sat there and cried harder than ever before. Slowly people from both sides began to filter in to see the out come. After an hour the tears stopped coming but the empty feeling remained.

"Hermione, we should go," Harry told her softly, sorry to have caused her such grief. She allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her away all the while she never took her eyes off of Tom's lifeless body until they rounded a corner.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N-Last chapter. (cries) Thank you so much for all the support you showed. It really meant a lot. I'll let you know that I have another story, not Hr/TR though, in the making and I hope you'll check it out. So here you go, enjoy!**

**Gueneviere- Thanks for the feedback, I swear it will end happily.**

**Crystalizedheart- Obviously that was not the end. I promised you guys a happy ending and you will get a happy ending with some sad stuff thrown in with it. I almost cried when I wrote it and Muse Tom got all emo and is sitting in a dark corner sulking.**

**Evey- Thanks, here you go!**

**Quidditchstar- Do you think I would be that cruel as to end the story like that? Yes he died, this is the end of the story, it really couldn't go on with out Tom, and I'm hurrying, but my mom feels that shredding chicken is more important**

**Miranda- You stole my characters name. I fear for now he is dead, yes I know I'm a tad cruel but it gets happier in this one.**

**GitaMerah- Yeah, it would be a bit hard for him to just renounce his title and start over. I don't think Harry would just let up on his search. **

**Disclaimer- Really, at this point in the game you should be fully aware that I do not own the characters that are recognizable though the plot is mine. Geez, and I thought Death Eaters were thick.**

Hermione entered the Great Hall and was immediately drowned in hugs from all her friends. As the Order members began to arrive, they also hugged her sympathetically having a small idea of what this meant to her. She walked away without a word and made her way up to her room. She crawled into bed and stared at the wall numbly. She wanted nothing more than for the mattress to open up and swallow her so she could be with him again. Her room mates arrived a while later and asked her a few questions but she did not answer. She couldn't. For some reason she felt that to talk would be to betray his memory because it meant that she had survived and he hadn't. She didn't know when but eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep to see him fall again and again.

The week passed by in a blur. Somehow, life went on normally. She attended classes, listened to her friends talk about whatever, and hung out in the library. She did not pay attention and whispers followed her about what had supposedly happened. Only she knew the full extent and Harry and Ron weren't telling what little they knew. She was dead to the world. Her life, she thought, could not get worse.

It was Friday afternoon and she sat in Transfiguration struggling with the spell. It was not like her to get something wrong repeatedly but she just could not concentrate. She set her wand frustrated and drummer her fingers irritated on the desk. What would Tom say, not being able to perform something he could do in fourth year? At the thought of him tears threatened to fall over. And they did but not because of him but a sharp pain that seared through her stomach. She fell out of her chair grasping her abdomen as another bolt came. Professor McGonagall rushed over, helped her up, and led her to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey ran over as the Professor helped her lay down on one of the beds.

"What happened?" she asked fearfully. Hermione shook her head and rolled onto her side trying to find a less painful position. Her question was answered by a red spot on the white sheets.

"Oh dear," McGonagall sighed knowing what happened.

"I'm sorry Hermione," the elderly nurse said as she hugged the confused woman. Hermione looked over her shoulder and saw the spot realizing what happened. The last connection she had to Tom was gone. Their child had died and it was her fault. For the millionth time that week tears fell.

"How could this happen?" she asked them.

"Emotional distress most likely," Madame Pomfrey explained. She pulled her knees up to her chest as best she could and sobbed loudly. The two gave her some space, waiting for her to calm down. Once the sobbing had stopped, the nurse spoke. "It would be best to get the procedure over with," she said softly. Hermione nodded in understanding. The curtain was pulled around once her head of house returned to class. In only a minute, it was all over. The pain was gone and the bump had gone down significantly. She rubbed her stomach sadly, wishing that this was a nightmare.

"Do you know what it was?" she asked the nurse.

"It was a boy," she answered replacing the curtain. Hermione gave a small smile. Tom was right. "Goodbye Tom Daniel Riddle," she whispered to their child. "Say hi to your daddy for me." (Author is officially crying)

Around dinner, her two best friends came in along with the Headmaster. Harry and Ron hugged her tightly expressing their condolences.

"I'm so sorry Hermione," Ron told her honestly.

"I wish there was someway to fix all of this," Harry added.

"Perhaps there is a way to fix everything," Dumbledore interjected. The trio looked at him curiously. "It opens tonight," he explained.

"But Professor, I thought you did not want me to change the future," she pointed.

"Suddenly, I don't think it would be a bad idea," he told her. She thought about it for a split second and a real smile lit up her face.

"You're leaving us?" Ron asked sorrowfully.

"Yeah, but you'll see me again, you just won't remember me. Ron, I'll miss you guys so much but over all it will be better. Harry's parents and Sirius will be alive, Lupin won't be a werewolf, I'll be happy again. I won't forget you," she told him.

"We'll miss you Hermione," Harry told her with another hug.

"Actually, you won't," she informed them. For the last three hours the sat together in the hospital wing preparing to say goodbye. Finally, nine o'clock rolled around. Harry, Ron, Ginny, the entire Order, Dumbledore, and McGonagall were all there to see her off.

"Goodbye everyone, I'll see you in at least several years," she told them, accepting one last hug from them.

"You have to be a teacher now. Get to see what the marauders were all about," Lupin told her.

"I'll pity you getting stuck with that lot," Tonks laughed through misty eyes.

"Do me a favor and tell my sister that I will take over her job once Dumbledore leaves it. She didn't believe me at the time," McGonagall told her.

"Your sister, that wasn't you?" she asked in amazement. Well it did explain a lot.

"Yes, Miranda took the job for that year and I aspired to be there someday but she teased me and said it would never happen," she explained. Hermione promised that she would.

"Say hi to Tom for me," Harry told her with glistening green eyes.

"And if he hurts you come and get us, we'll take care of him," Ron added as a big brother would. She laughed and hugged them one last time tears starting to fall.

"It'll be a long forty years without you guys. Perhaps you could pop in sometime," she said hopefully but knowing they wouldn't. She slowly and reluctantly backed away and faced the glowing tapestry. With a final wave to her friends she jumped through into her new life.

The hall was silent, no one around. She ran to the seventh floor corridor, frantically searching for him. Finally a lone figure came around the bend, lit wand held out in front.

"What are you doing out of bed? It's past curfew," the oh so familiar voice scolded her. She ran faster than she had in her entire life and threw her arms around him.

"I missed you so much Tom," she sobbed happily. He was in a slight state of shock.

"H-Hermione?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded and watched his eyes grow wide. "Oh I've missed you beyond belief!"

"I'll never leave you again," she told him. Instead of responding, he kissed her signifying that he would not leave her either. They broke apart and began heading down the hall hand in hand to the headmaster's office.

"What made you come back?" he asked her.

"You did. You didn't become a teacher but became Lord Voldemort and terrorized the world though I tried to change it. You captured my friends and me but they were rescued shortly after. We kind of fell for each other again and you changed back but Harry, who says hi by the way, killed you then I lost our child and decided to come back so that it wouldn't happen," she explained. He nodded as he comprehended the information.

"Interesting, wait, did you say you lost our child? You were…?" he trailed off.

"Yeah, it would have been a boy. I sort of named him after you," she admitted. He pulled her to his side, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that with out me," he apologized for something he could not have prevented.

"You were there for most of, until you died of course," she pointed out.

"Yeah, suddenly I don't like this Harry kid. Remind me to fail him," he told her jokingly. It was good to be back.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Forty years later:

Hermione Riddle (squee) sat at the staff table surveying the new first years eagerly with her husband. She was the Ancient Runes teacher while Tom was, obviously, the DADA professor and Deputy Headmaster. Professor McGonagall sat on her right followed by Snape, a former favorite pupil of hers. Lily Potter, the charms teacher was on Dumbledore's left. A nonwerewolf Lupin was on her left and was the Astronomy teacher, a fact that cause Hermione to laugh knowing what could have happened. Life had turned out very differently and for the better as she said many years ago, or a few in the future depending on how you looked at it. Then at the end sat Daniel Riddle, their son of course, the Care of Magical Creatures Teacher. He light brown hair, blue eyes, and was built almost exactly like his father. He was intelligent, caring, and the family ability of Parseltounge. He a true heir of Slytherin with a Gryffindor humility, usually. Surprisingly though, he ended up in Ravenclaw, something that had caused Tom to set the entire staff table on fire.

"Do you see them?" Tom asked her. She then spotted a tuff of unruly black hair next to a red head boy. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stood nervously waiting for the sorting to begin. She pointed them out and Tom eagerly followed.

"I was defeated by a pipsqueak?" he asked in indignation.

"When he was one at that," she added causing him to huff up. Also around him were three other boys that she knew but had not previously existed. Alexander Black, Taylor Lupin, and Eric Pettigrew stood by him taking eagerly with him and Ron. It would be an eventful year with another round of the marauders. Still, it wouldn't be anywhere near as eventful as her year. She intertwined her fingers with Tom's and gave him a loving smile. She would not have traded this for the world though.


End file.
